"Torture is not fate!" Moving images from UP Content for ACAT Switzerland
«Torture is not fate, but a crime.» With this message, ACAT-Switzerland is raising awareness about the issue of torture on the occasion of its 40th anniversary. Directed by Chris Santiago, UP Content has produced a series of clips for the campaign.
Anyone can become a victim of torture. Even today and in enlightened Western cultures. Although almost 90 percent of countries worldwide have ratified the UN Convention against Torture, torture is still practiced in the vast majority of these countries. Governments and businesses should recognize the crime of torture as such and act accordingly, says ACAT.
Because torture is not a fate, but a crime. To mark the 40th anniversary of ACAT, moving images are being used to raise awareness of this issue. In a main film, abstract landscapes and movements depict the body as a contemporary witness who remembers the scenes of torture through flashbacks. Victims, some of them anonymized, make the subject of torture real.
In four further clips, the four victims address the public with statements about the state-ordered torture. "It seemed impossible for me to go on living," says one victim. "Fighting against torture is my therapy," reports another. The director, who was also active in front of the camera, shows how important it is to stand up for this issue.
Founded in Bern in 1981, ACAT-Switzerland has since been active worldwide in the abolition of torture and the death penalty. ACAT's work focuses on the dignity of all people - regardless of ideology, religion, ethnicity or other characteristics. Through the umbrella organization FIACAT, the 30 national ACATs are also represented in important international bodies such as the UN and the Council of Europe
Here are the clips with the statements of those affected:
Responsible at ACAT-Switzerland: Katleen De Beukeleer (Head of Communications), Bettina Ryser (Secretary General). Responsible at UP Content: Derya Tuna (Managing Director), Eveline Mathis (Client Business Manager); Film: Chris Santiago (Director & Editing), Atila Ulcay (DoP), Bruno Stadler (AC), Roman Brändli (Gaffer), Kevin Vogel (Spark), Emilie Fischer (Production Design), Jasmin Berger (Hair & Make-up), Julian Underwood (Production Manager), Joe Chamaco Rodriguez (Sound Design), Ian Paterson (Location Sound), Sert Mustafa (Grading).
