Unquiet Voices

Real women who’ve survived domestic violence are giving their voices to scenes from silent movies where female characters are being abused by men, in support of a Romanian domestic violence charity. In Unquiet Voices, a 40-minute film created by Cheil Centrade on behalf of Romanian charity ANAIS, scenes from seven different silent films are intertwined with narratives of romances that became nightmares for women. It is estimated that every 30 seconds, a Romanian woman becomes a victim of domestic abuse, but very few are empowered talk about their experience. The idea of Unquiet Voices is to reveal the almost unnoticed portrayal of violence against women in films and how men copy this wrong behaviour in real life. ANAIS, which supports domestic violence victims, wanted to undo the wrong. With the loss of copyright of dozens of these silent movies on January 1 2019, ANAIS wondered if they could be turned into an empowering cinematographic product for the next generation? The real-life stories brought to life in the movie show different types of abuse, from psychological to economic. sexual, and even attempted murder. The movie talks about physically assaulted women who are left breathless on the floor, men who should be in jail but are walking freely, and children witnessing tragedies. The footage from each movie chapter was taken from seven different silent movies, then rearranged to fit the real stories of victims, whose voices are recorded over the footage to finally unsilence every violent scene. Movies used in the campaign: A Woman of Paris, directed by Charlie Chaplin - 1923 Our Hospitality, directed by Buster Keaton and John G. Blystone - 1923 Flaming Youth, directed by John Francis Dillon- 1923 Safety Last!, directed by Fred C. Newmeyer and Sam Taylor- 1923 Souls for Sale, directed by Rupert Hughes- 1923 Where the North Begins, directed by Chester M. Franklin- 1923 Scaramouche, directed by Rex Ingram- 1923 Digital advertisement created by Cheil, Romania for Anais Association, within the category: Public Interest, NGO.