THE SILENT ROUTE
an animated short film
by Merve Cirisoglu & Faisal Hossain
Written, Directed & Animated by Merve Cirisoglu
Original Story & Financing by Faisal Hossain
Produced at Animatick Creative Studio
Synopsis
In wartime, a young woman, with a newborn and three elderly relatives, faces obstacles at the border. Their ox-cart gets stuck near a security post. While their minds were obsessed with the possibility of being apprehended by the enemy, the magic of humanity brought out something unexpected.
TRAILER
Watch the Full Movie at Film Festivals!
Our full-length animated movie is currently exclusive to film festivals where it's officially selected. Catch us on the big screen at these events! Keep an eye on this page and social media channels for updates on upcoming private screenings and festival appearances.
Technical Specifications
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Technique: 2D frame-by-frame animation
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Production date: 1 January 2024
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Language: Universal / No dialogue
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Runtime: 8:30 mins.
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Themes: Human rights, Women, Social issues, War, Migration, Violence
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Technology: TV Paint, Photoshop, After Effects
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Recommended age: 16+
The Silent Route depicts tragic realities through its unique visual language without exposing the sufferings. Our aim is to raise a dissenting voice emphasizing that life is worth saving everywhere and inviting the audience to embrace their innate goodness. We hope that our animated short film builds empathy by sowing seeds of kindness and compassion in everyone's hearts.
Stages of Animation Production
Every scene in our animation undergoes a detailed journey, from the initial rough key-framing to the final touches in compositing. The development of the first scene is showcased in the time-lapse GIF below.
Early Art Development Insights
Our initial step in the art process involved constructing 3D block outs for the sets, shaping the realistic spacing for our 2D backgrounds. This meticulous approach led to the creation of 168 detailed 2D scene layouts. Our story is brought to life with six main human characters, a cat family, and various prisoners, each crafted with distinct features. The color palette was specially chosen to echo the film's gloomy theme, ensuring a visually cohesive and atmospheric experience across all scenes.
Dan, NASA, USA
"I just watched The Silent Route. It's unbelievably powerful. I'm deeply moved. What a beautiful message! I very much look forward to the release, so I can share with many people—women and men—who will undoubtedly appreciate the profound message, the powerful animation and the overall sense of humanity it evokes."
Faisal, University of Washington, USA
"The Silent Route has a universal message weaved into a real story of humanity for "us Vs them". In today's world where humanity's knee-jerk reaction to inhumanity is to dispense more inhumanity, bigotry for more bigotry, intolerance for more intolerance, where we are all getting baited to flaunt our worst human side and getting painted in a mutually exclusive world (of good vs evil or right vs wrong), TSR gives us pause and makes us ask "where is our humanity heading?" and that a better outcome for all is possible if we hold steadfast to our humanity against all odds."
Stefano, Cornell University, USA
"I just couldn't agree more with the final message. Unfortunately, we live in a world in which people have to be constantly reminded about the importance of kind gestures as well respect (for everybody's life), and you found a wonderful way of conveying the message!"
Ali, University of Rhode Island, USA
"What a powerful way to share the story and also recognize the sacrifices, the struggles, the kindness and the helping hands that have brought us where we are. Viva la vida!"
Kenzy, University of London, UK
"It was truly a masterpiece! It was really well thought out and it shed light on very important subject matters. The message your movie sent and portrayed is truly a very important message that one act of kindness can go a long way. The world needs more people like you who use their talent for the greater good and actually have an important message to send to the world!"
AWARDS & NOMINATIONS
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"Best Animated Short Film Award" - 4th Kinokavkaz Film Festival, Balkar Republic, Russia (16-18.05.2024)
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"Best Animation Award" - 3rd Kocaeli Film Festival, Kocaeli, Turkey (19-26.05.2024)
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"Maestro of Cinema" - 8th Calcutta International Cult Film Festival, Kolkata, India (19.03.2024)
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"Finalist" - International Turan Film Festival, Izmir, Turkey (02-03.05.2024)
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"Finalist" - 14th Visualízame Festival, Pontevedra, Spain (08-09-10.05.2024)
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"Finalist" - 13th International Youth Film Festival “Light to the World” - Kinofestival, Yaroslavskaya, Russian Federation (12-16.09.2024)
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"Finalist" - Chennai Word Cinema Festival, Chennia, India (04-10.10.2024)
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"Finalist" - 11th Canlandiranlar Animation Film Festival, Istanbul, Turkey (21-27.10.2027)
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"Finalist" - 9th The International Festival For Human Rights Films, Tunis, Tunisia (27-30.11.2021)
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"Semi-Finalist" - 28th the Flickers' Rhode Island International Film Festival, Rhode Island, USA (06-11.08.2024)
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"Semi-Finalist" - Islamabad International Film Festival, Islamabad, Pakistan & Istanbul, Turkey (09-12.05.2024)
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"Semi-Finalist" - Woman, Life, Freedom Film Festival, Queensland, Australia (16-21.09.2024)
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"Quarter-Finalist" - 2nd Batangas Balisong Film Festival, Batangas, Philippines (13.07.2024)
OFFICIAL SELECTIONS
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3rd ONED Art Film Festival, Beijing, China & Toulouse, France | 08.20-23.2024 (China) + 03.2024 (France)
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8th Women International Film Festival (WIFF), Islamabad, Pakistan | 01-06.03.2024
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3rd Rendacon Animation Film Festival, Lagos, Nigeria | 06-07.03.2024
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23rd MONSTRA Lisbon Animation Festival, Lisbon, Portugal | 07-17.03.2024
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6th In Short, Europe: Best of Best Film Festival, London - Glasgow, UK | 26-28.04.2024
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3rd Itabaiana International Film Festival, Sergipe, Brazil | 30.04-05.05.2024
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12th FERFILM International Film Festival, Ferizaj, Kosovo | 02-06.05.2024
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International Turan Film Festival, Izmir, Turkey | 02-03.05.2024
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8th Calcutta International Cult Film Festival, Kolkata, India | 19.03.2024
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2nd CINE RO – Rondônia Film Festival, Rondonia, Brazil | 03-11.05.2024
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Sound & Vision Short Film Night, London, UK | 08.05.2024
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14th Visualízame Festival, Pontevedra, Spain | 08-09-10.05.2024
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15th Sinepark Short Film Festival, Istanbul, Turkey | 13-18.05.2024
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Islamabad International Film Festival, Islamabad, Pakistan & Istanbul, Turkey | 09-12.05.2024
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4th Kinokavkaz Film Festival, Balkar Republic, Russia | 16-18.05.2024
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3rd Kocaeli Film Festival, Kocaeli, Turkey | 19-26.05.2024
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3rd The Movies Plus Film Festival, Pennsylvania, US | 08-09.06.2024
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3rd Vilafames International Film Festival, Castellón, Spain | 24-29.06.2024
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17th Ibero-American Animated Film Festival - Baixada Animada 2024, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | 05.09-31.10.2024
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2nd Batangas Balisong Film Festival, Batangas, Philippines | 13.07.2024
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16th Siciliambiente Film Festival, Sicily, Italy | 15-20.07.2024
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12th The International Animated Film Festival "Constantine’s Gold Coin, Nis, Serbia | 22-26.07.2024
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9th Galapán Film Festival, Jaén, Spain | 22-28.07.2024
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21st Festimaj International Film Festival, Vendee, France | 27.05-29.07.2024
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17th Islantilla Cinefórum Film Festival, Huelva, Spain | 06.07-31.08.2024
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28th the Flickers' Rhode Island International Film Festival, Rhode Island, USA | 06-11.08.2024
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5th International Christian Film Festival of Bogotá (FICCBOG), Bogota, Colombia | 03-07.09.2024
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13th International Youth Film Festival “Light to the World” - Kinofestival, Yaroslavskaya, Russian Federation | 12-16.09.2024
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Woman, Life, Freedom Film Festival, Queensland, Australia | 16-21.09.2024
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8th Chaniartoon - International Comic & Animation Festival, Chania, Greece | 20-29.09.2024
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3rd Film Festival Pino Scicolone, Rome, Italy | 09.2024
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8th Calibélula International Children's and Youth Film Festival, Cali, Colombia | 30.09-04.10.2024
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5th Heritales International Heritage Film Festival, Montemor-o-Novo, Portugal | 04-25.07.2024
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7th FICNOVA - ANIFF; International Film Festival, Madrid, Spain | 02.10.2024
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6th International Amity Short Film Festival, Istanbul, Türkiye, 03-06 October 2024
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Chennai Word Cinema Festival, Chennia, India | 04-10.10.2024
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5th CineOdyssey Animation Festival, North Carolina, US | 17-19.10.2024
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11th Canlandiranlar Animation Film Festival, Istanbul, Turkey | 21-27.10.2027
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2nd The Rivers International Film Festival, Rivers, Nigeria | 24-27 October 2024
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9th The International Festival For Human Rights Films, Tunis, Tunisia | 27-30.11.2021
PRIVATE SCREENING
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Yunus Emre Institute, London, United Kingdom (07.03.2024)
