The Deafening Sound Of Silence
Following the disappearance of his best friend, a boy is haunted by a ghost who speaks in a language he cannot understand.
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Sameer MonnDirectorBlue
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Sameer MonnWriterBlue
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Sameer MonnProducerBlue
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Josh LaiKey Cast"Dorian"
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Hafeezah HawaKey Cast"Sabine"
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Vincent LowKey Cast"Ghost"
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Joshua ChungCinematography
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Project Type:Short, Student
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Genres:Drama, Coming of Age
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Runtime:27 minutes
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Completion Date:June 23, 2025
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Production Budget:100 USD
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Country of Origin:Malaysia
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Country of Filming:Malaysia
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Language:English, French
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Shooting Format:Digital
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Aspect Ratio:16:9
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Film Color:Black & White and Color
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First-time Filmmaker:No
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Student Project:Yes - Epsom College Malaysia
I am a 19-year old filmmaker from Malaysia, and I have (somehow!) developed a penchant for micro-budget shorts. I wrote, directed, produced and starred in my first short film, blue (2022), which was screened at a local cinema in a Malaysian Mental Health Short Film Festival, My Mind on Film, where blue won the Best Youth Film award. I absolutely love films that feature real, honest conversations; I believe conversations to be the best part of being human -- and I try to embody that in my work. Outside of film, I'm a writer -- I've explored worlds of ghouls, monsters and love in my book, Beyond the Constellations, which I wrote when I was 17 and continues to inspire my filmmaking work. I am the biggest horror fan in a 100 mile radius and I love cats.
The Deafening Sound of Silence was a film that I wrote when I was 17, fresh out of secondary school in my gap year. I also wrote this film while in a very vulnerable space -- while I was caretaking for my ill grandmother. Writing the film became a space to grapple with the anticipatory grief. It was initially a horror feature film but it just couldn't get out off the ground. It sat on a shelf for a year. Then, during A-Levels, the opportunity to film this at my college came about. I adapted the script, found new life in it and saw it much more than just a horror film -- I found its heart and morphed it into a drama, completely forgoing the horror element. The College had lended us some equipment -- a gimbal, a lighting rig and the locations to shoot. With a 5 person team of students, me included, we set off to shoot the film with what we can. It became a challenge to push our boundaries, to see how far we could creatively go with such limited equipment and how to best tell this story. More than a piece of my heart, this film is a testament to the fact that it takes a village to shoot one. The Deafening Sound of Silence is my first narrative short -- one that I hope will haunt you after watching it. I'll see you on the dancefloor.