Before Silence: A Movie on Echoes of Screams

A film showcasing sounds preceding quietness

A documentary narrating the events of last year's Hamas attack on Israel doesn't show any disturbing images. However, the testimonies given by witnesses about the systematic rapes make it just as unnerving.

Approximately eight months have passed since the onset of the conflict in the Gaza Strip, and many have already forgotten the cause of this war. It began on 7th October, the day Hamas launched an attack against the Israeli music festival, Nova, and various Israeli towns and villages. 1,200 people were slaughtered, and 252 others were taken captive.

This violence is generally overlooked by pro-Palestinian demonstrators worldwide, regardless of whether they have a Muslim background or belong to the left-wing movement. Yet, they often deny the rapes committed by the terrorists.

However, these atrocities played a significant role in the Hamas massacre. While even feminist organizations remained silent, Israeli filmmaker Anat Stalinsky created a documentary, titled "Screams Before Silence," centered around interviews conducted by former Facebook manager Sheryl Sandberg. The documentary, which is available on YouTube, sheds light on the terrifying extent of the sexual violence.

No grisly images are displayed

"The objective was to convey the horrors through conversations with witnesses," shares Anat Stalinsky. "The film depicts the magnitude of the sexual violence, aiming to maximize the impact of the attack." The 57-minute documentary doesn't feature scenes of the actual rapes. "The documentary serves to make people understand what happened to the women, especially since the massacre is denied globally. I address viewers who are unaware of the events," says the filmmaker.

A revealing behind-the-scenes glimpse

First responders and those who survived the massacre provided their accounts for the documentary. They described the widely spread, organized nature of the assaults. "No one could have prepared for something like this," says Simcha Greiniman, spokesperson of the Israeli emergency aid organization ZAKA. "In over three decades as an aid worker, I've encountered natural disasters and terrorist attacks across the world, retrieving body parts and identifying corpses. Seeing hundreds of injured and burnt individuals in a field is an unimaginable scale."

"Screams Before Silence" reveals the premeditated, unconscionable acts of brutality committed by Hamas. The initial interviews in the film portray the shocking images of disfigured women, with nails and metal objects driven into their genitals and some who were shot directly in the vagina, as well as body parts being cut off. Greiniman Sandberg explains that the crimes were no accident, since there was a clear strategy and pattern behind the sexual assaults.

The chilling realities of the situation in the Gaza Strip

Those who remain silent are complicit, warned Holocaust survivor Eva Szepesi in the German Parliament in January. Hence, Stalinsky and Sandberg's documentary is necessary as it exposes the truth about the events that are being concealed or even denied. The film's power lies in its ability to express the horror through the expressions and harrowing statements of the witnesses, leaving a deep impact on the audience.

An Israeli soldier who attempted to save lives at the festival but only found corpses also shares his account. "On my way to Nova, I witnessed the extent of the tragedy. People were fleeing for their lives. Automatically, I picked up as many as I could," says a 59-year-old helper. He shuttled between the festival site and his hometown several times, successfully rescuing 700 individuals. In the film, he walks through a forest where the rapes had taken place with Sandberg. "I encountered terrorists here, but since I speak Arabic, they thought I was a Bedouin and entrusted some girls to be taken to safety. But I also saw dozens of naked women tied up between two trees."

Ruth Halperin-Kaddari, a former deputy head of the UN Committee on Women's Rights, delves into the motive behind the rape tactics utilized by Hamas. These crimes can be traced back to historical practices, aiming to humiliate an entire people by abusing their female bodies. The most poignant part of the film is Amit Soussana's account; she was held hostage in her home in Kfar Azza and was abused in Gaza. Her courage, both during the traumatic incident and in her ability to speak about it, is heartbreaking.

Frustration and powerlessness

The overarching emotion in "Screams Before Silence" is one of rage and powerlessness. The anguish expressed stirs not only empathy but also a sense of responsibility to act. The film's disturbing recreations and personal accounts evoke a journey back to the moment in which innocents were left to their fate.

During the New York premiere, an idea was floated to screen our film at universities where there are protests against Israel, says Stalinsky. "The demonstrations stem from a lack of knowledge," he continues. "Especially when it comes to sex crimes, they want to overlook them because they don't match their narrative that October 7 was a fair conflict for the Palestinians. Our movie aims to challenge that notion."