Bigger than trauma is a documentary feature awarded internationally. It had it's national premiere in April 2022 at Zagrebdox in Croatia and international at HOTDOCS in Canada.
Bigger than trauma is a beautiful movie about a group of women from Vukovar discovering who they could be without the trauma they’re identified with, and it’s changing their life and relations
Women whose families were killed during the Croatian war for independence; who were enslaved, tortured, and raped, but survived, kept silent for 25 years.
Many families still live surrounded by trauma, exist in the past, unable to move forward.
Frictions within the group erupt along cultural lines, reinforcing past pain, but it's precisely what's needed to cultivate acceptance and peace.
From collateral damage of war, they transform into empowered women.
The experience of tragedy has taken over every aspect of Marija's life. The trauma she has experienced still echoes in her everyday life. It is holding her back and she constantly lives in fear.
Katica is hiding in the darkness, afraid to be herself. She puts on a front and tries to act tough, even though she is hurting inside. She has never revealed her true story to anyone, including her family.
Ana feels like doesn’t belong anywhere, and she can’t get along with the rest of the group. Her deepest desire is to fit in and feel accepted.
“I AM MUCH MORE THAN MY TRAUMA”
The program was initiated by Marija Slišković, an active public speaker and champion for the rights of civilian victims of war crimes, who lobbied for the creation of a law on wartime sexual violence.
Trauma left untreated for over twenty years has affected every aspect of these women’s lives - eroding their physical and emotional well-being as well as their intimate relationships and social contacts.
The unconventional integrative systemic therapy shown in the film was developed especially to support and help women victims of wartime sexual violence, to improve the quality of their everyday lives
Group therapy team