An animation film that reflects on and explores violence against women in South Sudan has received awards at several international film festivals.
The animation was produced by Dr Louis Netter, Senior Lecturer in Illustration in the School of Art and Design at the University of Portsmouth, for a research project by Professor Tamsin Bradley, Professor in International Development Studies in the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences at the University of Portsmouth, called Art, Heritage and Resilience in South Sudan.
It received best animation in the Roma Short Film Festival, the Venice Fullshot Film Festival and the Tokyo International Short Film Festival. It was a semi-finalist for Serbest International Film Festival (SIFF) and received an honourable mention at the Japan International Film Festival and Seoul International Short Film Festival. Additionally, it was an official selection at the International African Film Festival in Argentina.
This important work exploring gender, artistic practices and violence against women in South Sudan has now reached a wider audience through these festivals and increases the potential impact of this work in raising consciousness globally.
Dr Netter said: “The success of the film at international festivals is proof that ‘research’ films need not be created with a narrow audience in mind. This important work exploring gender, artistic practices and violence against women in South Sudan has now reached a wider audience through these festivals and increases the potential impact of this work in raising consciousness globally.”
Dr Netter and Professor Bradley are exploring other venues for showing the film and utilising the arts in future campaigns and as a means of collecting qualitative data in marginalised and underserved populations.
Dr Netter added: “Animation is uniquely suited to disseminating research and rendering complexity through evocative visual symbols and metaphors, which enable sensitive, even traumatic material to be seen and understood without losing valuable context and nuances of lived experience.”
If you would like to arrange a screening or learn more about the project, please email louis.netter@port.ac.uk