The Man Who Mends Women – the wrath of Hippocrates

Portrait of the impressive life and works of internationally renowned gynaecologist Denis Mukwege from Congo. He recently received the prestigious Sacharov Prize for Freedom of Thought, for his struggle against sexual violence. Mukwege medically assisted over 40,000 sexually abused women in sixteen years of professional practice.

Sexual violence against women has been used as a weapon of war for years in the violence-ridden and poverty-stricken Democratic Republic of Congo. In order to provide medical, psychological and emotional aid to the victims, Mukwege founded the Panzi hospital in Bukavu in 1999. Besides his work as a physician Mukwege also defends human rights and seeks to raise global awareness on the issue of sexual violence in his country. He condemns the political reluctance to tackle the problem and is not afraid to hit the nail on the head.

His work is not without danger, as Mukwege experienced in 2012, when armed men entered his home and started shooting. Mukwege and his family survived the attack, but his guard was killed by the bullets flying around. The film captures Mukwege’s exceptional mission and zooms in on the effects of his work on family and friends.