Silence Is Golden is a 15 minute award winning film written and directed by Chris Shepherd

Chris Shepherd

Chris Shepherd is a BAFTA nominated television/film writer and director. Born in Anfield, Liverpool in 1967. He is mainly known for combining live action with animation. His work fuses comedy with commentary on the darker side of human nature....

 and produced by Maria Manton. Set in 1970s Britain, it tells the story of a 10 year old boy's obsession with his seemingly simple minded neighbour Dennis. The film mixes live action with various form of animation, including stop frame, drawn 2D. The complex mixture of styles enables Shepherd to show Billy's fantasies and inner thoughts on screen.

In 2006 the film won the TCM Classic Shorts Award at the London Film Festival

London Film Festival

The BFI London Film Festival is the UK's largest public film event, screening more than 300 features, documentaries and shorts from almost 50 countries. The festival, , currently in its 54th year, is run every year in the second half of October under the umbrella of the British Film Institute...

. Industry stars celebrated the merits of the film, Terry Gilliam

Terry Gilliam

Terrence Vance "Terry" Gilliam is an American-born British screenwriter, film director, animator, actor and member of the Monty Python comedy troupe. Gilliam is also known for directing several films, including Brazil , The Adventures of Baron Munchausen , The Fisher King , and 12 Monkeys...

: "Terrific, strong, non-sentimental kid's story", Imelda Staunton

Imelda Staunton

Imelda Mary Philomena Bernadette Staunton, OBE is an English actress. She is perhaps best known for her performances in the British comedy television series Up the Garden Path, the Harry Potter film series and Vera Drake...

 "Wonderfully surreal", Stephen Poliakoff

Stephen Poliakoff

Stephen Poliakoff, CBE, FRSL is an acclaimed British playwright, director and scriptwriter, widely judged amongst Britain's foremost television dramatists.-Early life and career:...

 "Technically extremely impressive, full of wit and imagination" and Matthew Modine

Matthew Modine

Matthew Avery Modine is an award-winning American actor. His film roles include Private Joker in Stanley Kubrick's Full Metal Jacket, the title character in Alan Parker's Birdy, high school wrestler Louden Swain in Vision Quest, football star turned spy Alec McCall in Funky Monkey and the...

 "A wonderful combination of mixed media, strong storytelling and talented actors." The film has continued to win awards and been screened internationally.

2006

• Winner of TCM Classic Shorts Award at 50th Times BFI
  British Film Institute
  The British Film Institute is a charitable organisation established by Royal Charter to:-Cinemas:The BFI runs the BFI Southbank and IMAX theatre, both located on the south bank of the River Thames in London...
  
   London Film Festival
  London Film Festival
  The BFI London Film Festival is the UK's largest public film event, screening more than 300 features, documentaries and shorts from almost 50 countries. The festival, , currently in its 54th year, is run every year in the second half of October under the umbrella of the British Film Institute...
  
  , London, UK
• Winner of Audience Award at 25FPS International Film Festival, Zagreb, Croatia
• Winner of Special Mention, AFI
  American Film Institute
  The American Film Institute is an independent non-profit organization created by the National Endowment for the Arts, which was established in 1967 when President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act...
  
   FEST, Los Angeles, USA
• Winner of Best Narrative Short, Northampton International Film Festival. USA
• Winner of Grand Prix at Prague International Short Film Festival, Czech Republic
• Winner of Best Live Action Short at St Louis International Film Festival, USA

2007

• Winner of Best Screenplay at Mexico International Film Festival. Mexico
• Winner of Best Short Film at 3rd Digital Barcelona Film Festival, Spain
• Winner of Best Sound at Festival Pris de Courts, Paris, France
• Winner of Best Short Film at Rushes Soho Shorts Festival, London, UK

DVD

Wholphin

Wholphin (DVD)

Wholphin is a quarterly DVD magazine containing a selection of short films which have had little or no exposure elsewhere. It was created by Dave Eggers and Brent Hoff of McSweeney's publishing house...

the DVD magazine have just released the film on their 6th edition. This is the first time the film has been released on DVD.

• July 2008 - Wholphin No.6, Silence Is Golden appears with director's interview as a part of a compilation. NTSC. All regions. ASIN: B000KF0DZC. UPC: 890353001041.

A Slinky Pictures

Slinky Pictures

Slinky Pictures was a London based film and television production company. The company was created in 2000 by Maria Manton and Chris Shepherd and closed on its tenth anniversary in 2010. It animation and hybrid output included commercials, short films, pop promos and television shows...

 production made in association with Autour de Minuit Productions with support from Arte France, Northwest Vision and UK Film Council

UK Film Council

The UK Film Council was set up in 2000 by the Labour Government as a non-departmental public body to develop and promote the film industry in the UK. It was constituted as a private company limited by guarantee governed by a board of 15 directors and was funded through sources including the...

 Lottery Fund, Acardi.

Sources

• http://www.silenceisgolden.info
• http://www.slinkypics.com
• http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/filmnetwork/A16185729