In the United States, 1 in 15 children are exposed to violence between intimate partners each year.
A new ad far from the usual humor and product pitches dives a bit deeper into that tragic statistic by illustrating the tale of a young boy caught between real life and fantasy.
“Hero,” a PSA for the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, dramatically intersperses this child’s day-to-day struggles with his desire to escape into outer space.
The work was created by production company Chirp Films and directed by Noah Conopask, who said, “The film is autobiographical. The boy is me. I had to make it. Children look up to their parents. Even if they don’t want to. I hope that I can inspire action in those who may be broken or hurt and are acting in this way. I hope I can stir them to look at themselves and recognize what it is doing to their child, their family and themselves.”
Unfortunately, a child doesn’t even have to be directly abused to be affected by domestic violence. Here are some related statistics from the NCADV.
CREDITS
Title: ‘Hero’
Client: National Coalition Against Domestic Violence
Production Company: Chirp Films
Director: Noah Conopask
Executive Producer: Laura Thoel
Producer: John Malina
PM: Mario D’Amici
DP: Garrett Hardy Davis
Sound Designer: Gavin Little
Editor: James Dierx (Whitehouse Post)
Production Designer: Alex Choate
Wardrobe Stylist: Marissa Adele