As she avoids the cracks on the sidewalk like a child, she is reminded of the horrors of war.
As a woman walks down a familiar street, her body remains on high alert, shaped by the horrors of war that continue to haunt her. The Sounds of Things Ablaze transforms a story of human atrocity into a poignant tribute to women facing adversity—one step at a time. Inspired by the Japanese art of kintsugi, which highlights the cracks in broken pottery with gold, this debut animated short transmutes past wounds and imperfections into a poetic meditation on resilience. Drawn in charcoal and gold leaf, the film is accompanied by a moving piano score by Jean-Michel Blais.
The Sounds of Things Ablaze, Hayat Najm, provided by the National Film Board of Canada