About This Project

A drama-documentary made by 27 young women who attend schools in the Bristol area. Its primary aim is to persuade the communities that the practice of female genital mutilation (FGM) must stop. Over 20,000 girls could be at risk of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) in the UK.

FGM is illegal in the UK and most other countries, including Egypt and Somalia. As well as the extreme pain involved, victims commonly suffer psychological and emotional trauma. Medical complications can include urinary infections, kidney failure, sterility and death.

Silent Scream is a film about Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) made by young women in Bristol with the support of Integrate Bristol and Zed Productions.

Following the success of radio docu-drama, “WHY”, the young women felt they had gained the confidence and experience to make a short film on this sensitive and traditionally taboo topic.

The impetus for making this film came from the young women themselves. The project ran over five months and the young film makers worked after school, at weekends and in the school holidays to develop a story, adapt it to script then learn the skills necessary to take on all the roles involved in production. For the documentary part of the film the young women interviewed, among others, Chief Detective Inspector David McCallum, Dr Comfort Momoh MBE, Dr Sheikh Abdalla Yassin OBE and a mother who wishes to remain anonymous but whose heartrending personal story is a defining element in the film. They were taught and mentored by professionals from the media industry and supported by women from the community.

The young women involved showed outstanding courage and determination in addressing this issue and it is hoped their film will make an ongoing contribution to raising awareness and stopping the practice once and for all. They have been awarded a commendation from the police and have been nominated for several other awards.

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