_An eye-opening scream film
about sexual violence in wartime
THE FILM
AWARDS
OFFICIAL SELECTIONS
90’ social impact film by Nicolas Blies and Stéphane Hueber-Blies, co-directed with Denis Lambert, as a centerpiece of an ambitious transmedia project which combines investigative journalism with activism and wake-up call to action.
For centuries victims of heinous sexual war crimes have experienced horrible abuses and its devastating consequences, yet very few have had the courage or the support to break the centuries old silence and speak up. ZERO IMPUNITY offers a voice to victims in countries across the globe, including Syria and Ukraine, as well as on the African continent and in the USA. FATIMA raises her voice, in the name of her daughter, 11 year-old-Nora, abducted like thousands of children and sexually tortured in the prisons of the Syrian regime. ALISA, a survivor of sexual violence during the Donbas conflict in Ukraine, finally speaks out; forbidden to press charges in her own country. MARK, a former interrogator in Guantanamo, denounces the institutionalized system which used sexual torture on detainees in the U.S. military prison.
ZERO IMPUNITY confronts the dirty mechanics of major international institutions, fueled by an global culture of hopelessness, neglect and denial. The liberation of suppressed voices and the support structures now available are the first step in providing the crucial tools needed to heal. This film features exclusive records from the United Nations, Oscar nominated animation, and most importantly a message of hope, renewal and real change.
ZERO IMPUNITY is an important and necessary eye-opening scream, raising awareness and outrage.
We put human faces on these stories. A film about life, love and humanity. Join the Movement.
Format: Feature-length documentary
Running time: 90'
Status: Completed
Versions: French, English
Year: 2019
Authors: Nicolas BLIES, Stéphane HUEBER-BLIES (BLIES Brothers)
Directors: Nicolas BLIES, Stéphane HUEBER-BLIES (BLIES Brothers), Denis LAMBERT
Investigative reports: Leila MINANO, Hélène MOLINARI, Delphine BAUER, Cécile ANDRZEJEWSKI, Justine BRABANT, Sophie TARDY-JOUBERT, Ariane PUCCINI, Ilioné SCHULTZ, Anne-Laure PINEAU, Camille JOURDAN, Marie-Alix DETRIE, Julia SIRIEIX
Producers: Marion GUTH, François LE GALL, Stephan ROELANTS, Louise GENIS-COSSERAT
Production companies: a_BAHN (LU), Mélusine Productions (LU), Camera Talk (FR), Webspider( FR)
Worldwide distributor: Indie Sales
With the support of: Film Fund Luxembourg (LU), CNC (FR)
View the project
zeroimpunity.com
BLIES Brothers
Authors & film directors
Nicolas Blies and Stéphane Hueber-Blies (Blies brothers) are two French filmmakers and digital artists who create their works together.
In 2015, they conceptualized the documentary music transmedia Soundhunters in co-production with ARTE. Soundhunters was imagined to transform the world into an infinite musical instrument. The transmedia is released in 2015 in collaboration with many international artists including Jean Michel Jarre, Simonne Jones or Blixa Bargeld. In 2016, the Blies brothers are invited to present their work at Lincoln Center during the New York Film Festival. The project is placed in 2016 under the high patronage of UNESCO.
In 2019, they wrote and directed their first feature film Zero Impunity about the impunity of sexual violence in wartime (Thessaloniki IFF, Annecy IFF, Moscow IFF, Mostra de Sao Paulo, Guadalajara IFF, Palm Springs IFF...). Hybridizing animation and live action, the film is considered one of the precursors in the field, particularly for its ability to « Figuring the unmentionable ». The Blies brothers were invited by the Annecy International Animation Film Festival to participate in the traditional “Cinema Masterclass” of the festival to talk about the issue of “sexual violence in animation”. In 2021, the film was nominated for the Trophées Francophones du Cinéma in the “Best Documentary” category.
In 2024, the Blies brothers released the digital art installation This Is My Heart (Ceci est mon coeur), about the reconciliation of a child with his body, mixing video-mapping and connected clothing. Following Zero Impunity, here again they hybridize animation and live action. For the first time, they also use a technique akin to “Spoken Word”. Combining Stéphane’s poetic writing with Nicolas’s musical creations, they explore a fusion of words and rhythms at the service of storytelling. The World Premiere of This Is My Heart take place during the 81st Venice International Film Festival.
The Blies brothers decided to pursue their research into Spoken word and visual hybridization in the development of their first feature-length film Maman Sopra.
Jury
In 2020, the Blies brothers are members of the feature film jury section “Contrechamp” of the 44th International Animation Film Festival of Annecy. In 2018, Nicolas Blies is a member of the jury section “National Documentary” and Stéphane Hueber-Blies member and president of the section “Innovation Award” at the 31st International Festival of Audiovisual Production of Biarritz (FIPA).
Nicolas Blies and Stéphane Hueber-Blies (Blies brothers) are two French filmmakers and digital artists who create their works together.
In 2015, they conceptualized the documentary music transmedia Soundhunters in co-production with ARTE. Soundhunters was imagined to transform the world into an infinite musical instrument. The transmedia is released in 2015 in collaboration with many international artists including Jean Michel Jarre, Simonne Jones or Blixa Bargeld. In 2016, the Blies brothers are invited to present their work at Lincoln Center during the New York Film Festival. The project is placed in 2016 under the high patronage of UNESCO.
In 2019, they wrote and directed their first feature film Zero Impunity about the impunity of sexual violence in wartime (Thessaloniki IFF, Annecy IFF, Moscow IFF, Mostra de Sao Paulo, Guadalajara IFF, Palm Springs IFF...). Hybridizing animation and live action, the film is considered one of the precursors in the field, particularly for its ability to « Figuring the unmentionable ». The Blies brothers were invited by the Annecy International Animation Film Festival to participate in the traditional “Cinema Masterclass” of the festival to talk about the issue of “sexual violence in animation”. In 2021, the film was nominated for the Trophées Francophones du Cinéma in the “Best Documentary” category.
In 2024, the Blies brothers released the digital art installation This Is My Heart (Ceci est mon coeur), about the reconciliation of a child with his body, mixing video-mapping and connected clothing. Following Zero Impunity, here again they hybridize animation and live action. For the first time, they also use a technique akin to “Spoken Word”. Combining Stéphane’s poetic writing with Nicolas’s musical creations, they explore a fusion of words and rhythms at the service of storytelling. The World Premiere of This Is My Heart take place during the 81st Venice International Film Festival.
The Blies brothers decided to pursue their research into Spoken word and visual hybridization in the development of their first feature-length film Maman Sopra.
Jury
In 2020, the Blies brothers are members of the feature film jury section “Contrechamp” of the 44th International Animation Film Festival of Annecy. In 2018, Nicolas Blies is a member of the jury section “National Documentary” and Stéphane Hueber-Blies member and president of the section “Innovation Award” at the 31st International Festival of Audiovisual Production of Biarritz (FIPA).
PRODUCED BY
SALES AGENT
WITH THE SUPPORT OF
THE EXPERIENCE
AWARDS
OFFICIAL SELECTIONS
_Synopsis
ZERO IMPUNITY is a transmedia project which combines investigative journalism with a wake up call to action. For centuries victims of heinous sexual war crimes have experienced the horrific abuse and its devastating consequences, yet very few have had the courage or the support to break the centuries old silence and speak up. ZERO IMPUNITY offers a voice to victims in countries across the globe, including Syria and Ukraine, as well as on the African continent and in the USA. At the heart of ZERO IMPUNITY, 6 in-depth investigative reports which question the failures within many major international institutions and States which make it impossible to fight against the deliberate and highly effective use of sexual violence to control and maintain power in armed conflicts, while combating terrorism and within the peace keeping task forces, worldwide.
Since January 2017, the 6 investigations have been progressively published, one by one, by an international media consortium and on the zeroimpunity. com website. These 6 investigations have also been published by Mediapart a French independent newspaper specializing in investigations, and by several European and African newspapers also specializing in investigations (the same group who published the Panama Papers): Internazionale (Italy), InfoLibre (Spain), LeDesk (Morocco), Inkyfada (Tunisia), Correctiv.org.
In partnership with Change.org, each investigation is extended by a petition and the possibility to participate in digital demonstrations that can be projected onto large buildings and public spaces with enormous impact. The petitions include concrete demands, for change as well as the road map to get there. 400,000 citizens have already joined the movement, signing petitions demanding concrete actions, including special training within the french army and criminal code reforms in Ukraine.
_Technical sheet
Format: Online investigative reports + Social impact campaign
Status: Completed
Versions: French, English
Year : 2017
Authors: Nicolas BLIES, Stéphane HUEBER-BLIES, Marion GUTH
Supervisors: Nicolas BLIES, Stéphane HUEBER-BLIES
Investigative reports: Leila MINANO, Hélène MOLINARI, Delphine BAUER, Cécile ANDRZEJEWSKI, Justine BRABANT, Sophie TARDY-JOUBERT, Ariane PUCCINI, Ilioné SCHULTZ, Anne-Laure PINEAU, Camille JOURDAN, Marie-Alix DETRIE, Julia SIRIEIX
Producers: Marion GUTH, François LE GALL, Louise GENIS-COSSERAT
Production companies: a_BAHN (LU), Camera Talk (FR), Webspider( FR)
Broadcaster: Mediapart
Media partners: Mediapart, YouPress, Change.org, Le Desk, Internazionale, Inkyfada, InfoLibre, Tageblatt, BabelMed, Mail&Guardian, ArabiAssafir, OrientXXI, Le Jeudi, Correctiv.org, Al Jumhuriya, Abwab
With the support of: Film Fund Luxembourg (LU), CNC (FR)
View the project
zeroimpunity.com
BLIES Brothers
Authors & Films directors
Nicolas Blies and Stéphane Hueber-Blies (Blies brothers) are two French filmmakers and digital artists who create their works together.
In 2015, they conceptualized the documentary music transmedia Soundhunters in co-production with ARTE. Soundhunters was imagined to transform the world into an infinite musical instrument. The transmedia is released in 2015 in collaboration with many international artists including Jean Michel Jarre, Simonne Jones or Blixa Bargeld. In 2016, the Blies brothers are invited to present their work at Lincoln Center during the New York Film Festival. The project is placed in 2016 under the high patronage of UNESCO.
In 2019, they wrote and directed their first feature film Zero Impunity about the impunity of sexual violence in wartime (Thessaloniki IFF, Annecy IFF, Moscow IFF, Mostra de Sao Paulo, Guadalajara IFF, Palm Springs IFF...). Hybridizing animation and live action, the film is considered one of the precursors in the field, particularly for its ability to « Figuring the unmentionable ». The Blies brothers were invited by the Annecy International Animation Film Festival to participate in the traditional “Cinema Masterclass” of the festival to talk about the issue of “sexual violence in animation”. In 2021, the film was nominated for the Trophées Francophones du Cinéma in the “Best Documentary” category.
In 2024, the Blies brothers released the digital art installation This Is My Heart (Ceci est mon coeur), about the reconciliation of a child with his body, mixing video-mapping and connected clothing. Following Zero Impunity, here again they hybridize animation and live action. For the first time, they also use a technique akin to “Spoken Word”. Combining Stéphane’s poetic writing with Nicolas’s musical creations, they explore a fusion of words and rhythms at the service of storytelling. The World Premiere of This Is My Heart take place during the 81st Venice International Film Festival.
The Blies brothers decided to pursue their research into Spoken word and visual hybridization in the development of their first feature-length film Maman Sopra.
Jury
In 2020, the Blies brothers are members of the feature film jury section “Contrechamp” of the 44th International Animation Film Festival of Annecy. In 2018, Nicolas Blies is a member of the jury section “National Documentary” and Stéphane Hueber-Blies member and president of the section “Innovation Award” at the 31st International Festival of Audiovisual Production of Biarritz (FIPA).
Nicolas Blies and Stéphane Hueber-Blies (Blies brothers) are two French filmmakers and digital artists who create their works together.
In 2015, they conceptualized the documentary music transmedia Soundhunters in co-production with ARTE. Soundhunters was imagined to transform the world into an infinite musical instrument. The transmedia is released in 2015 in collaboration with many international artists including Jean Michel Jarre, Simonne Jones or Blixa Bargeld. In 2016, the Blies brothers are invited to present their work at Lincoln Center during the New York Film Festival. The project is placed in 2016 under the high patronage of UNESCO.
In 2019, they wrote and directed their first feature film Zero Impunity about the impunity of sexual violence in wartime (Thessaloniki IFF, Annecy IFF, Moscow IFF, Mostra de Sao Paulo, Guadalajara IFF, Palm Springs IFF...). Hybridizing animation and live action, the film is considered one of the precursors in the field, particularly for its ability to « Figuring the unmentionable ». The Blies brothers were invited by the Annecy International Animation Film Festival to participate in the traditional “Cinema Masterclass” of the festival to talk about the issue of “sexual violence in animation”. In 2021, the film was nominated for the Trophées Francophones du Cinéma in the “Best Documentary” category.
In 2024, the Blies brothers released the digital art installation This Is My Heart (Ceci est mon coeur), about the reconciliation of a child with his body, mixing video-mapping and connected clothing. Following Zero Impunity, here again they hybridize animation and live action. For the first time, they also use a technique akin to “Spoken Word”. Combining Stéphane’s poetic writing with Nicolas’s musical creations, they explore a fusion of words and rhythms at the service of storytelling. The World Premiere of This Is My Heart take place during the 81st Venice International Film Festival.
The Blies brothers decided to pursue their research into Spoken word and visual hybridization in the development of their first feature-length film Maman Sopra.
Jury
In 2020, the Blies brothers are members of the feature film jury section “Contrechamp” of the 44th International Animation Film Festival of Annecy. In 2018, Nicolas Blies is a member of the jury section “National Documentary” and Stéphane Hueber-Blies member and president of the section “Innovation Award” at the 31st International Festival of Audiovisual Production of Biarritz (FIPA).
PRODUCED BY
MEDIA PARTNERS
WITH THE SUPPORT OF
