Presented by Sydney Opera House and Documentary Australia

What are the systemic reforms we need to stop the silencing of women’s voices? 

Join us for the third event in Documentary Australia’s Women’s Voices series, a special Q&A screening of Silenced, presented by Sydney Opera House and Documentary Australia. 

Billed by Screen International as, “an essential, galvanising watch,” Silenced  follows international human rights lawyer and free speech defender Jennifer Robinson’s fight for survivors of gender-based violence to tell their story.  

In the wake of #MeToo, survivors who spoke out found themselves facing a new kind of silencing and fear as defamation laws became weaponised by alleged perpetrators. Going inside the courtroom and behind the headlines, the film reveals how the legal system is used to intimidate, discredit, and financially ruin not just survivors, but also the journalists who report on their stories.  

Silenced  brings unrivalled access to the people at the centre of these battles: Amber Heard, whose defamation trial became one of the most-watched legal battles in recent history; Brittany Higgins, Australian political staffer turned advocate; and Catalina Ruiz-Navarro, journalist and co-founder of feminist magazine Volcánicas.  

World premiering at Sundance and opening the 2026 Sydney Film Festival to a standing ovation, Emmy Award-winning director Selina Miles delivers a gripping, emotional and urgent film that challenges the flaws within the justice system.  

Following the screening, hear from Jennifer Robinson and Selina Miles in conversation with Documentary Australia’s Dr Mitzi Goldman in a Q&A discussion on the narrative and systemic changes needed to prevent the silencing of women’s voices.

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This event is presented as part of Documentary Australia’s Women’s Voices initiative, which elevates stories from women, girls and gender-diverse people that shift the narrative and drive progress for gender equality and justice.

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About the speakers 

Jennifer Robinson is one of the world’s most respected human rights lawyers and advocates. A barrister at Doughty Street Chambers in London, she has acted in key human rights and media freedom cases in domestic and international courts. Her diverse and groundbreaking work includes representing Julian Assange and securing his release; representing Amber Heard in the unsuccessful defamation proceedings brought by her ex-husband in the UK; achieving political asylum for West Papuan leader Benny Wenda; and successfully taking climate change to the world’s highest court, the International Court of Justice. Jen co-authored  How Many More Women? (published as Silenced Women in the UK) with her colleague, Dr Keio Yoshida. 

Selina Miles is an Australian director with a global reputation. Selina’s debut theatrical feature film, Martha: A Picture Story premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival and received critical acclaim, winning numerous awards including the Audience Award at Sydney Film Festival. Selina’s second feature documentary, Harley & Katya won an International Emmy Award and was released globally on Netflix. Her most recent theatrical feature documentary Silenced has had its world premiere in competition at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival and opened the Sydney Film Festival to a standing ovation. Selina’s work includes award-winning music videos for artists like Barkaa and The Hilltop Hoods. Her dedication to social justice saw her volunteer in Uganda in 2023, documenting the work of the nonprofit organization Operation International. The resulting short film  Saving Face, premiered at Sydney’s Flickerfest. 

Dr Mitzi Goldman is co-founder and CEO of Documentary Australia, a not-for-profit organisation enabling social impact documentaries to be funded and screened to inspire social change. With over 35 years’ experience as a documentary director, producer and editor through her production company Looking Glass Pictures, Mitzi has created many award-winning international documentaries. Mitzi’s credits as Producer include KaChing! Pokie Nation, Night Parrot Stories, Memoirs of a Plague, End of the Rainbow; as Director, Jez: A Letter for Life, A Common Purpose, Chinese Take Away, Hatred; and as Executive Producer, Incarceration Nation, Backtrack Boys, Undermined: Tales of the Kimberley, Leunig Fragments, Zach’s Ceremony, Constance on the Edge, I Am a Girl and Surgery Ship. From 2002 to 2008 Mitzi was Co-Head of Documentary at Australian Film Television and Radio School (AFTRS). She was previously Co-Chair of the Australian International Documentary Conference (AIDC), and co-founded OzDox. Mitzi holds a BA from the University of Sydney and a PhD in Cultural Studies and Political Philosophy.