Amber Heard has made a surprise appearance in the documentary 'Silenced,' which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and explores how defamation lawsuits silence women accusing men of abuse. The film highlights Heard's involvement in her ex-husband Johnny Depp's 2018 libel case against a British newspaper. Director Selina Miles and human rights lawyer Jennifer Robinson address the broader implications for free speech and justice.
The documentary 'Silenced' debuted on Saturday in the world cinema category at the Sundance Film Festival. Directed by Selina Miles and featuring international human rights lawyer Jennifer Robinson, the film examines cases where men use high-stakes defamation suits to deter women from speaking out about alleged abuse. It includes stories from several women, such as Australian political staffer Brittany Higgins, who accused a superior of rape; Catalina Ruiz-Navarro, editor of Latin American magazine Volcánica, sued by director Ciro Guerra over misconduct allegations; and human rights attorney Sibongile Ndashe.
Amber Heard, appearing in her first film since 'Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom' in 2023, discusses her role in the 2018 libel trial Depp v. The Sun. The British newspaper had criticized Depp's casting in the 'Fantastic Beasts' franchise, citing Heard's domestic violence accusations against him. Heard was pivotal to the paper's defense. In an interview with Miles, Heard explained her reluctance to share her story: "This is not about me. I have lost my ability to speak. I am not here to tell my story. I don’t want to tell my story. In fact, I don’t want to use my voice anymore. That’s the problem."
Robinson, who assisted Heard in the case, spoke at the Variety Studio at Sundance about the "chilling effect" of such lawsuits post-#MeToo. "In the post-#MeToo world, we saw women break the cultural silence, speaking out publicly about gender-based violence. What we then saw is their alleged perpetrator bringing a defamation claim... The question I ask in this film is, ‘What does free speech mean if you can’t afford to defend it?’" Heard described her trial experience as a Catch-22, noting intense public backlash, including Depp fans dressed as Captain Jack Sparrow from 'Pirates of the Caribbean' throwing objects at her outside court.
"The outcome of that trial depended on my participation, and I depended on the outcome of that trial... I didn’t understand it could get so much worse for me as a woman, using my voice," Heard reflected. Now focusing on theater, she expressed optimism: "It gives me strength seeing other people take on the fight... I believe it can be better."
'Silenced' is currently seeking distribution.
