DocHouse Presents: The Invisible War + Panel Discussion

Dir. Kirby Dick
USA – 2012 – 95 mins

'This is not a movie that can be ignored.' - New York Times

The film works both as advocacy and as a very moving study of women (and one or two men) whose idealism and patriotism have been utterly shattered. Independent


The Invisible War examines the alarming epidemic of rape and sexual assault within the US military. This Oscar nominated documentary is told through the eyes of the victims with first-hand accounts of the brutal way in which the women were treated. The military's consistent attempts to cover up cases combined with a Kafkaesque legal system compounds the feeling of helplessness felt by many of the victims. The film reveals the terrifying extent of an issue which will resonate beyond US borders.

Directed by Kirby Dick, The Invisible War uncovers the dark and disturbing truth that runs to the core of the US military, investigating the institutions that perpetuate it as well as its profound personal and social consequences.

Nominated: Best Documentary, Academy Awards 2013
Winner: Audience Award, Sundance 2012
Winner: Best Documentary, Independent Spirit Awards 2012

Kirby Dick is an Academy- and Emmy Award-nominated documentary director. His prior film, Twist of Faith received a 2004 Academy Award nomination for Best Documentary Feature. Other films include Derrida, and the internationally acclaimed Sick: The Life & Death of Bob Flanagan, Supermasochist.

We will be joined after the screening by Donna Rayment, a former British Soldier and survivor of sexual assault in the military, and Lisa Longstaff from Women against Rape, the grass-roots organisation providing support, legal information and advocacy.