{"id":431521,"date":"2026-01-25T03:26:08","date_gmt":"2026-01-25T03:26:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/431521\/"},"modified":"2026-01-25T03:26:08","modified_gmt":"2026-01-25T03:26:08","slug":"amber-heard-talks-johnny-depp-case-silencing-women-in-sundance-doc","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/431521\/","title":{"rendered":"Amber Heard Talks Johnny Depp Case, Silencing Women in Sundance Doc"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tAmber Heard<\/a> makes an unexpected appearance in a timely new documentary premiering at the Sundance Film Festival, about accused men weaponizing defamation lawsuits to silence women speaking out about abuse.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cSilenced,\u201d playing in the world cinema category at the annual festival, bowed on Saturday afternoon from director Selina Miles and international human rights lawyer Jennifer Robinson. The film follows numerous women, including a journalist, who were impeded in their search for justice thanks to nine-figure defamation suits.<\/p>\n

\n\tRobinson assisted Heard in her participation in a 2018 lawsuit filed by Heard\u2019s ex-husband Johnny Depp<\/a>, against British newspaper The Sun. The paper ran a story criticizing Depp\u2019s casting in the Warner Bros. \u201cFantastic Beasts\u201d film franchise, citing accusations of domestic violence brought by Heard. Depp sued the paper for libel and Heard was crucial to the publication\u2019s defense.<\/p>\n

\n\tHeard agreed to sit for an interview in \u201cSilenced,\u201d the first film she\u2019s appeared in since 2023\u2019s \u201cAquaman and the Lost Kingdom.\u201d The actress was clear about her motives in joining the production.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cThis is not about me. I have lost my ability to speak. I am not here to tell my story. I don\u2019t want to tell my story. In fact, I don\u2019t want to use my voice anymore. That\u2019s the problem,\u201d Heard said bluntly, sitting for a confessional chat with Miles.<\/p>\n

\n\tHeard is joined by subjects include: Brittany Higgins, a political staffer who brought a rape allegation against a superior in Australian parliament; Catalina Ruiz-Navarro, the editor of Latin American magazine Volc\u00e1nica, who was sued by director Ciro Guerra after publishing serial allegations of misconduct against him; and Sibongile Ndashe, a human rights attorney.<\/p>\n

\n\tSpeaking at the Variety Studio presented by Audible at Sundance, Robinson warned of the \u201cchilling effect\u201d defamation suits have had on the ability of women to come forward, let alone have their day in court.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cIn 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 saying, \u2018This is not true, it\u2019s defamatory, and I\u2019m going to sue you for a lot of money.\u2019\u2019 Robison said.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe attorney said she\u2019s advised many a client that \u201che can sue you, you just then have to prove it in court. But it\u2019s very expensive to do so, and it bankrupts most women. The question I ask in this film is, \u2018What does free speech mean if you can\u2019t afford to defend it?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tHeard said her involvement in the Depp v. The Sun case was a Catch 22.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cThe outcome of that trial depended on my participation, and I depended on the outcome of that trial. When I first met [Robinson], I immediately got the sense that she got the bigger picture. What has happened to me is an amplified version of what a lot of women live through,\u201d said Heard.<\/p>\n

\n\tFor the duration of The Sun trial, the film depicts Heard as the subject of public scorn. Depp fans, several dressed as Capt. Jack Sparrow from Disney\u2019s \u201cPirates of the Caribbean,\u201d hurled expletives and threw trash at Heard as she entered and exited court each day.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cI remember at the close of the trial, the idea that I could say something to the press came up. [Robinson] asked if I was sure about that. [I thought], \u2018If they throw things at me, it will make this point more obvious.\u2019 I didn\u2019t understand it could get so much worse for me as a woman, using my voice,\u201d she continued.<\/p>\n

\n\tHeard, who has moved on to a career in theater, ended on a hopeful note.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cIt gives me strength seeing other people take on the fight. Women brave enough to address the imbalance of power. Looking at my daughter\u2019s face as she grows up and slowly starts to walk into this world\u2026 I believe it can be better.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cSilenced\u2019 is currently seeking distribution.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Amber Heard makes an unexpected appearance in a timely new documentary premiering at the Sundance Film Festival, about…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":431522,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[31583,49,48,75,21836,179624],"class_list":{"0":"post-431521","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-entertainment","8":"tag-amber-heard","9":"tag-ca","10":"tag-canada","11":"tag-entertainment","12":"tag-johnny-depp","13":"tag-sundance-studio-2026"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/431521","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=431521"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/431521\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/431522"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=431521"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=431521"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=431521"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}