Silent Voices (2005 film)

Silent Voices
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Written by	Barbara Gorna
Starring	Karina Cornell Vicky Taylor-Roberts Amanda Wright Isla Molnar Sarah Applewood Robert Cohen Amy Dodd Claire Rimell Damani Richards
Music by	Damian Coldwell
Country of origin	United Kingdom
Production
Producer(s)	Paul Atherton
Running time	50 minutes
Release
Original network	Community Channel (UK)
Original release	2005 – 2007

Silent Voices is a docudrama about domestic violence in the United Kingdom written for the Community Channel by Barbara Gorna, directed by Charles Harris and produced by Paul Atherton.

It was first screened on April 25, 2005.

In 2008 Silent Voices was released as a DVD to raise funds for the charity NCDV (National Centre for Domestic Violence).

Summary

Silent Voices is a single docudrama based on interviews conducted by the writer, with over a hundred subjects, whilst researching at a Think Tank into the Labour Government's new Domestic Violence Bill in 2004.

The real life events described were then composed onto seven fictitious characters from all walks of life performing integrated monologues directly to the camera.

Raj, a 10-year-old boy tells his tale of how his mother and him get away from the violence of his father and the associated attachments to a black Caribbean family as he moves from home to a refuge.

Chelsea, a 13-year-old girl, who loves her father and mourns the loss of her CDs and friends as her Mother drags her from Refuge to Refuge until her inevitable return home.

Jezza, a 16-year-old trainee hairdresser, remembers her time with her mother and father as they battled through her childhood. Her chilling realisation that her Mother was killed by her Father as she watched leaves her character coming to terms with the horror.

Bev, a 19-year-old prostitute and drug addict explains how she has ended in her current predicament in an attempt to escape the violence her father an RAF officer perpetrated on her mother.

Summer, 26, a successful City worker, explains how she fell in love with the man who then went on to destroy her life through bullying and violence and how she discovered how difficult it was to break free of her situation.

Michael, 40 a small time lawyer recalls his middle-class upbringing and the secrets of the violence that went on behind closed doors which resulted in his Mothers suicide.

Lucy, 38, a successful office worker who has finally found a man she can trust again, re-tells the story of how clever her boyfriend was at isolating her by his kindness and attention before she found herself alone with her child in a house that was filled with anger.

Cast and crew

The show was produced by Paul Atherton, while Charles Harris directed. The music was written by Damian Coldwell.

It was a first time television appearance for all the cast and most of the crew.

Karina Cornell's next job was with Kenneth Branagh in The Magic Flute. Amanda Wright went on to do Prime Suspect. Vicky Taylor-Roberts sang the closing credits "Trading Metaphors" taken from her album on Wistful Records. Make-up Artist Caroline went on to work on the remake of Brideshead Revisited.

It was written on Final Draft with thanks credited to Rinaldo Quacquarini.

See also

• The Conspiracy of Silence, a Public Broadcasting Station (PBS) documentary
• Defending Our Lives, a short documentary
• Power and Control: Domestic Violence in America, a documentary about domestic violence and the community-based Duluth Model to reduce domestic violence
• Sin by Silence, a documentary

External links

• Silent Voices at IMDb
• Silent Voices Review in Empire Magazine November 2008
• The Big Issue - interview with Paul Atherton written by Daisy Greenwell 17 - 24 November 2008
• Third Sector Magazine written by Hannah Jordan, Pg 2, "Charities Refuse Proceeds of DVD" 28 November 2008
• Silent Voices on The Community Channel
• Silent Voices on Amazon.co.uk
• Silent Voices in the British Film Archive
• Silent Voices reviewed in DVD Monthly December 2008