Silenced

Billed by Screen International as “an essential, galvanising watch,” SILENCED follows international human rights lawyer and free speech defender Jennifer Robinson's fight for survivors of gender-based violence to tell their story. 

In the wake of #MeToo, survivors who spoke out found themselves facing a new kind of silencing and fear as defamation laws became weaponised by alleged perpetrators. Going inside the courtroom and behind the headlines, the film reveals how the legal system is used to intimidate, discredit, and financially ruin not just survivors but also the journalists who report on their stories. 

SILENCED brings unrivalled access to the people at the centre of these battles: Amber Heard, whose defamation trial became one of the most-watched legal battles in recent history; Brittany Higgins, Australian political staffer turned advocate; and Catalina Ruiz-Navarro, journalist and co-founder of feminist magazine Volcánicas. 

World premiering at Sundance and opening the 2026 Sydney Film Festival to a standing ovation, Emmy Award-winning director Selina Miles delivers a gripping, emotional and urgent film that challenges the flaws within the justice system. 

Coming to Australian cinemas September 3.