Sound of Torture explained

Sound of Torture
Director:Keren Shayo
Producer:Osnat Trabelsi, Galit Cahlon
Music:Yosef Babliki
Cinematography:Daniel Kedem
Editing:Ayal Goldberg
Studio:Trabelsi Productions
Distributor:First Hand Films (Israel), Women Make Movies (USA)
Runtime:60 minutes
Country:Israel, Egypt, Sweden
Language:Hebrew, Tigrinya, Arabic Subtitles in English

Sound of Torture is a 2013 documentary film written and directed by Israeli filmmaker Keren Shayo which follows Eritrean radio host and human rights activist Meron Estefanos as she reports on Eritrean refugees who have been captured in Sudan while migrating across the Sinai Peninsula into Israel.

Synopsis

The film Sound of Torture chronicles Meron Estefanos’ journey with the families of those who have been kidnapped, tortured, and raped by Bedouin smugglers in the Sinai Desert.[1] Those held captive are brought to torture camps and given cell phones to call their families and beg for ransom for their release.[2] [3] The amount of ransom money demanded by the traffickers ranges from $15,000-$40,000 American dollars. Estefanos broadcasts her weekly radio program “Voices of Eritrean Refugees” out of her home in Stockholm, Sweden where she dedicates the show to reporting on the refugee kidnappings in Sinai.[4] During the broadcast she reads the names of recently kidnapped victims and gives updates and advice to Eritrean listeners. The film shows Estefanos’ attempts to communicate with hostages and the kidnappers as she then airs their phone conversations during her broadcasts so the audience can bear witness the torture being inflicted.[5] [6] Sound of Torture follows two specific cases which takes Estafanos to Sinai where she witnesses first-hand the stories of those who have been tortured and to Tel Aviv where she finally meets the Sudanese refugees who she has kept in contact with.

Production

Keren Shayo chose to make this film due to the lack of media coverage and political discussion on this topic.[7] Shayo's main goal for this film was to raise global awareness surrounding the situations Eritreans undergo when attempting to seek asylum.[8] Shayo's previous work with migrants and refugees brought together her and Estafanos to create Sound of Torture.[9]

Background

About 3,000 Eritreans a month flee the dictatorship of Isaias Afwerki and the one-party state of Eritrea where indefinite military service and forced labor is required of all Eritreans from the age of 18 to 55.[10] Eritrea is considered one of the most surveilled countries in the world with no independent media and no public internet service. Afwerki has been the country's only president since Eritrea gained its independence from Ethiopian rule in 1991. The United Nations has described the kidnappings and human trafficking in Sinai as one of the most under-reported humanitarian crises in the world while the government of Eritrea's human rights record is considered among the worst in the world.[11] After Europe closed its borders in 2006, the only option for Eritreans fleeing their country towards Israel is across the Sinai desert in Egypt. Critics explain that those fleeing Eritrea are looking for better opportunities in Israel away from their repressive government, conditions of poverty, and prolonged incarceration and military service.[12] It has been reported that people of the Rashaida Tribe, Eritreans, and Sudanese soldiers are all involved in the trafficking of Eritreans to Israel. Many Eritreans pay traffickers to transport them to the Israeli border but are instead held hostage by those they paid and sold to gangs in Sinai where they are tortured and held for ransom. These strategically organized kidnapping are known as the refugee kidnappings in Sinai.

Festival screenings

Broadcasts

Accolades

External links

Notes and References

  1. Drucker. Jacob. Strangers in the Promise Land. Harvard Political Review. 2013. 40. 3. 29–31.
  2. Web site: Sherwood. Harriet. Hundreds of Eritreans enslaved in torture camps in Sudan and Egypt. TheGuardian.com. February 11, 2014.
  3. Harris. Katie. Free the Eritrean Captives. New Internationalist. June 2013. 463. 10. 0305-9529.
  4. Web site: Naib. Fatma. Q&A: Eritreans escape to torturous Sinai. Al Jazeera. December 10, 2014.
  5. Web site: DeFore. John. 'The Sound of Torture': Bergen Review. The Hollywood Reporter. September 26, 2014.
  6. Web site: Martinez Standring. Suzette. Close the Torture Houses in North Sinai and Egypt. Asmarino Independent. March 13, 2014.
  7. Web site: Sound of Torture. Al Jazeera Witness. March 18, 2015.
  8. News: Schlesinger. Liat. Sinai torture industry captured in haunting new documentary. HAARETZ. June 13, 2014.
  9. Web site: Stein. Alyssa. Human Trafficking: The Sinai Phenomenon. World Policy. September 23, 2014.
  10. Web site: Naib. Fatma. Escaping Eritrea's 'open prison'. Al Jazeera (Qatar). October 3, 2014.
  11. Web site: Thomson. Mike. Sinai torture for Eritreans kidnapped by traffickers. BBC News. March 6, 2013.
  12. Book: I Wanted to Lie Down and Die. February 2014. 978-1-62313-0978. 16. Simpson. Gerald. Human Rights Watch .
  13. Web site: Israel Film Festival: October 23 - November 6, 2014 - Los Angeles. May 30, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150530031941/http://www.israelfilmfestival.com/films-and-tickets/sound-of-torture. 2015-05-30.
  14. Web site: Niet gevonden | IDFA.
  15. Web site: One World 2020. One World 2020.
  16. http://www.fifdh.org/2014/index.php?rubID=17&lan=en&filmID=318
  17. Web site: Film Engels - Sound of Torture - Movies that Matter Film Festival. www.moviesthatmatter.nl.
  18. Web site: Sound Of Torture | Docaviv 2014. www.docaviv.co.il.
  19. Web site: We Moving .
  20. http://www.israelfilmcenter.org/israeli-film-database/films/sound-of-torture/awards/sguardi-altrove-international-women-film-festival
  21. Web site: Kostenlos Ficken Mit Sexy Shemales Mit Großen 20cm Schwanz Ohne Pößmoos Ladyboys Thailand Porno Chatrooms Um Singles Kennenzulernen Spionage Cam Nackt Porno Lesibes. www.bestdoks.de.
  22. Web site: Bergen International Film Festival (BIFF) 2014. letterboxd.com. 9 September 2014 .
  23. Web site: Mediteran Film Festival. mff.ba.
  24. Web site: PRIX EUROPA – Winners 2015. April 23, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160423115911/http://prixeuropa.eu/competition/winners. 2016-04-23.
  25. Web site: Sound of Torture. www.verzio.org.
  26. Web site: Warsaw Jewish Film Festival, since 2003 . www.wjff.pl . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20150120100416/http://www.wjff.pl/en/2014/films/competition . 2015-01-20.
  27. Web site: Sound of Torture. UK Jewish Film.
  28. Web site: International Documentary and Short Film Festival of Kerala . www.iffk.in . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20140728193224/http://www.iffk.in/idsffk/international_2014.php . 2014-07-28.
  29. Web site: AfroPoP: The Ultimate Cultural Exchange | Sound of Torture | Season 7 | Episode 3. www.pbs.org.
  30. Web site: This Call May Be Recorded... To Save Your Life. August 9, 2013. This American Life.

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