“A Silent Cry” is a two-and-a-half-minute microfilm set in the Himalayan Mountains—one of the world’s most vital and fragile ecosystems. The film uses evocative visuals and music to highlight the urgent need to sustain and protect this unique environment, which is essential for countless species and provides life-sustaining resources for millions of people.
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Review by Andie Kay:
Donna Weng Friedman created, directed, produced and even played piano in this short film which she has lovingly dubbed “a microfilm” because it’s under three minutes long. In an age where so many films are unnecessarily lengthy I found myself really wishing this film was longer. Donna focuses on these beautiful snow leopards that reside high in the Himalayan mountains.
Their very fragile ecosystem is in desperate need of being sustained and protected. She was able to create this A.I. imagery of a sphere encapsulating a little world, which was a perfect visual to represent the film’s message. While I loved how she did the snow leopard overlay onto the A.I. sphere, I longed for that transition to where you could see the snow leopard fully.
The music for this film was equally as stunning. The song Clouds by Stefania de Kenessey was so perfect for the film and Donna was the pianist. The addition of Curtis Stewart playing violin really added such a great depth to the music so it flowed with the emotion of the film.
I loved the addition of the text at the end of the film giving you more information about these incredible animals. I almost wished that was at the beginning of the film but regardless I thought it was a smart idea to include it. This whole film just captures your heart and your senses, definitely worth seeing.
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