3 Minutes Silence

A short film by Jenny Chapman

the enemy you killeddove of peacepeacehappiness

3 minutes silence: an intrusive silence that cannot be silent. An exceptional silence dedicated to those who lose their lives through acts of extreme violence and conflict.

When the unthinkable happens, we are precipitated into 3 minutes of visual meditation upon the symbolic journey of a universal victim drifting through hell in search of lost hope and a path for mankind away from the cycle of violence. The young girl at the centre of the film epitomizes Wilfred Owen’s famous line “I am the enemy you killed, my friend”.

This short film was made in a few weeks, as an immediate response to the violent events of 11th September 2001 and the violent reprisals which followed. At such times the world’s attention is focussed upon particular centres of conflict or fear; the film’s unexpected focus on a location and culture remote from those centres highlights the universal threat which we must all face if we continue to respond to violence with more violence. “Peace is every step.” (Thich Nhat Hanh)

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