Annex Travels Across Troubled Terrain for Strong Women of the City of Joy

Annex Films are so proud to share a project they travelled through the troubled terrains of the Democratic Republic of Congo to shoot. Directed by Marc Silver, for fabric company Vlisco, this film honours the strong women of The City of Joy. The City of Joy is a refuge and leadership community for women and children who have survived sexual violence in the ongoing conflict in the country.

The producer, Hans Elias certainly had his producing skills put to the test as he navigated the team’s way through Rwanda to get into the Congo. This included negotiating with local FBI and administrators to be able to shoot out on the streets of the Congo- very rare when filming in the country, with reporters usually confined to their hotels. Ebola checks on the borders and time constraints were just some of the challenges facing the Annex team. The resulting film has helped shine a light on the International issue of sexual violence against women.