After the Silence

Storyline

Living on the edge of the Amazon, Maria’s life has always been tied to the forest. It was her playground as a child, later it became a resource she cut down to grow coca as Colombia fell into conflict. Now, she is helping bring the forest back to life. This intimate portrait of an ex-coca farmer offers a nuanced look at why people deforest, and how they can return to nature. The film follows Maria as she works with scientists using sound to explore how the landscape has recovered after the silence left by conflict and destruction. Through immersive sound design, we hear this transformation ourselves, carried into the forests and grasslands of Guaviare by the returning bird songs and the sounds of life renewed.