Weapon of War
(60 minutes) Netherlands/Congo

Directors/Producers: Ilse van Velzen, Femke van Velzen

Description:
Weapon of War, an award-winning film honored by Amnesty International, journeys to the heart of the ongoing mass rape crisis in the Democratic Republic of Congo where we meet its perpetrators. In personal interviews, soldiers and former combatants provide openhearted but shocking testimony about rape in the DRC. Despite differing views on causes or criminal status, all reveal how years of conflict, as well as discrimination against women, have normalized brutal sexual violence. We also see former rapists struggling to change their own or others’ behavior, and reintegrate into their communities. 

Biography:
Born in 1980, twin sisters Ilse and Femke van Velzen are a documentary filmmaking team that aim to expose cultural injustices. The two sisters each studied social and cultural development in Amsterdam and Utrecht. After graduating in 2002, they began their own production company IFPRODUCTIONS which gives the sisters the freedom to work as independent filmmakers and producers. The sisters use their films as educational tools, and travel to developing countries to screen their films. These screenings help expose the inequality and violence to local communities in their current living conditions. The inspiration for the van Velzen sisters’ films is promoting human rights and women’s rights across the globe.

Contact Information:
Women Make Movies
E-mail: kfitzpatrick@wmm.com
Web site: www.wmm.com