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The Sounds of Things Ablaze

As she avoids the cracks on the sidewalk like a child, a woman is reminded of the horrors of war.
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A woman walks down the sidewalk, avoiding the cracks in the pavement like a child. Her body remains on high alert, remembering the horrors of a war that continues to haunt her.

The Sounds of Things Ablaze transforms a story about human atrocities into a poignant tribute to women who face adversity—one step at a time.

For her debut animated short, which was inspired by the Japanese art of kintsugi (in which the cracks in once-broken pottery are highlighted with gold), artist Hayat Najm channels the wounds and imperfections of the past and transmutes them into a poetic work about resilience.

Drawn in charcoal and gold paint, the film features a moving piano score by Jean-Michel Blais.

 This work contains scenes of violence. Viewer discretion is advised.
Cultural Diversity and Multiculturalism Psychology and Psychiatry War, Conflict and Peace Children and Youth All subjects
  • writer
    Hayat Najm
  • animator
    Hayat Najm
  • director
    Hayat Najm
  • production
    Marc Bertrand
    Christine Noël
  • original music
    Jean-Michel Blais
  • musical performance
    Jean-Michel Blais
  • sound design
    Sylvain Bellemare
  • editor
    Annie Jean
  • executive producer
    Christine Noël
  • line producer
    Mélanie Boudreau Blanchard
    Anne-Marie Bousquet
  • administrator
    Karine Desmeules
  • senior production coordinator
    Josiane Bernardin
    Camila Blos
  • animation
    Melrouss
  • compositor
    Marielle Dalpé
  • technical director
    Éric Pouliot
  • technical specialist - animation
    Yannick Grandmont
  • consultant
    Claude Cloutier
    Halima Elkhatabi
  • consulting writer
    Alex Boya
  • voice
    Hayat Najm
  • foley
    Monique Vézina
  • sound recordist
    Geoffrey Mitchell
  • music re-recording mixer
    Geoffrey Mitchell
  • re-recording mixer
    Jean-Paul Vialard
  • online editor
    Luca di Gioacchino
  • colourist
    Luca di Gioacchino
  • titles
    Michel Ouellette
  • technical coordinator
    Lyne Lapointe
    Mira Mailhot
    Esther Viragh
  • studio coordinator
    Rose Mercier-Marcotte
    Laetitia Seguin
  • senior marketing advisor
    Judith Lessard-Bérubé
  • marketing project manager
    Marion Duhaime-Morissette
  • marketing coordinator
    Émilie Ryan
  • publicist
    Nadine Viau
  • legal counsel
    Peter Kallianiotis
The Sounds of Things Ablaze
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