Moments of Silence, 2014, 14 min. DCP

At certain times, dates and places, pedestrians halt, traffic stops and silence ensues. For just a moment, generally counted in minutes, the world is a frozen arrow pointing at the thought of something important, so important that it should never be forgotten. As a meditative memento on the importance of a collective memory, we have compiled a series of these moments into a film. Together these sampled minutes of silence reflect one of few activities that bring people together regardless of religion, race or cultural background.
The archival material outlines a mute history of tragedy and grief, often staged against a backdrop of natural disasters and violent conflict. But the footage is also a reminder of the stoic nature of humans, never accepting the horrors of terror attacks, war or rogue killers.
Screenings
World premiere at CPH:DOX, New Vision Award section
Copenhagen International Film Festival
6-16 Nov, 2014
IDFA, Paradocs
International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam
19-30 Nov, 2014
XII SITAC conference Arte, Justamente | Just Art
Centro Cultural del Bosque, Mexico City
22–24 Jan, 2015
Göteborgs Film Festival
Swedish premiere
23 Jan–2 Feb, 2015
Docpoint, Helsinki
27 Jan–1 Feb, 2015
TEMPO Documentary Filmfestival, Stockholm
2-8 March, 2015
Cabinet, New York
23 April, 2015
Vera List Center for Art and Politics, New York
25 April, 2015
The Swedish Film Institute, Stockholm
27 April, 2015
Busan Short Film Festival, Korea
24-28 April, 2015
Documenta International Film festival, Madrid
30 April-10 May, 2015
Oberhausen short film festival with Filmform
2 May, 2015
Docville International Film festival, Leuven
1-9 May, 2015
Nordic Docs, Oslo
28-31 May, 2015
Filmform News, Bio Rio, Stockholm
8 June, 2015
Dokufest, Kosovo
8-16 August, 2015
34th Uppsala International Short film festival
19-25 oktober, 2015
19th Jihlava International Documentary Film Festival
27 October-1 November, 2015
32nd Kassel Documentary Film and Video Festival
10-15 November, 2015
Aldrich Museum, Ridgefield Main Street Video Gallery
6-26 August, 2018White House
Washington D.C., USA
09 11 2012
President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama mark the 11th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks by observing a moment of silence.
©White House Gov.
Images
Texts
Credits
Moments of Silence
Written and directed by
Bigert & Bergström
Editing
Dino Jonsäter
Sound design
David Österberg
Graphic design
Björn Kusoffsky
Grading
Oscar Larsson
Chimney
Archive research
Annelie Bergman
Translations
Jennifer Evans
Moments of Silence
is produced by Bigert & Bergström
In co-production with
SVT/ Kortfilm, Andrea Östlund
With the support of
Swedish Film Institute, Cecilia Lidin
© Bigert & Bergström 2014