The documentaries of director Kirby Dick straddle the worlds of investigative journalism and film, perhaps more than those of any other filmmaker. His latest film, The Invisible War (opening June 22), won the Festival Audience Award for documentaries at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival and is as powerful and scathing an exposé as he's ever made, this time going after the epidemic of sexual assault in the armed forces, where more than one in five women and nearly 20,000 men in the military are the victims of sexual assault every year. Sadly, for many of these victims, the aftermath of the assault can be more painful than the act itself as they are subjected to threats, reprisal, and punishment for coming forward and are faced with a system where those in charge of the investigations are often friendly with the assailants or have a vested interest in sweeping allegations under the rug. Watch the trailer for The Invisible War below.
I spoke with Kirby Dick and producer Amy Ziering about the film, the fact that the military considers the rape to be an occupational hazard of military service, whether America's habit of worshipping soldiers has fueled and justified the cover-up of rampant sexual assault in the ranks, and a lot more. Check out my video interview with Kirby Dick and Amy Ziering below, and click here to find out more about The Invisible War and if it will be playing near you.