Baptism of Silence

Set in a rural South African mining town, this powerful coming-of-age drama follows siblings Isabel and Joshua as a traumatic initiation rite fractures their bond.

As shame, silence, and societal expectations threaten to divide them, they must confront painful truths to find their way back to each other. 

The film was supported in 2026 and received 500 000 NOK.

Jury Statement

The female director duo of Baptism of Silence use their own experiences with their brothers to challenge and confront adolescent trauma in a rural Afrikaans community in South Africa. The story follows two siblings: a younger brother who changes dramatically after being traumatized by violent high school initiation rituals accepted as a tradition, and an older sister losing her sense of stability when a safe cornerstone of her family and life dissolves. 

The jury finds the script sharp, daring, intimate and touching on adolescent challenges that resonate not only in South Africa, but in many other parts of the world. The film addresses disturbing truths about toxic masculinity in rites of passage for boys and insists that these practices should be challenged and not silenced.