Film Independent’s Fiscal Sponsorship program opens the door to nonprofit funding for independent filmmakers and media artists. Donate today and help bring Symphony of Silence to life.
 

Logline

Symphony of Silence follows Amazonian sound recordist Josue Borman and hearing-impaired acoustic ecologist Gordon Hempton on a cross-continent cinematic journey, exploring how sound connects us to the planet, and what we stand to lose when we stop listening.

Synopsis

Josue Borman—a young member of the Indigenous Cofan community—grew up in the Ecuadorian Amazon’s rich soundscape, where silence is a living presence. His path intersects with that of Gordon Hempton, a celebrated acoustic ecologist who has spent his life capturing the rarest sounds on Earth. The two embark on a poignant exchange: Gordon passes on the craft of deep listening and sound recording, and Josue discovers a new way to fight for his homeland. But Gordon receives life-changing news: he is going deaf. As Gordon’s ability to hear fades, the urgency of their mission grows and he reckons with what it means to let go. Together, they journey between two of the world’s last quiet places—Olympic National Park and the Amazon—recording what may soon be lost. At its core, this is a story about legacy, transformation, and the profound power of listening.
 

Meet the Filmmakers

Julianne Sato-Parker — Director
Julianne Sato-Parker is a documentary director and producer from Portland, Oregon. She directed and produced the feature documentary Solving for Zero (Gates Venture/Wondrium), based on Bill Gates’ best-selling book How to Avoid a Climate Disaster, as well as Big Dreams in Umatilla (PBS). Her work also includes the docuseries Storefront Stories and Diary of an Old Home (HBO Max); branded docs for clients such as Google, Nike, Microsoft and Lowe’s; and documentary shorts for TIME Magazine, NBC, TED, and multiple nonprofits. She received her MFA in creative nonfiction writing from the University of Pittsburgh, and has spent the last three years reporting for and writing a book about the Chinook Indian Nation’s fight for federal recognition. She is currently in production on a feature documentary with Academy Award-nominated director Skye Fitzgerald, telling stories on the front lines of climate change from four locations around the globe.

Bridie Bischoff — Producer
Bridie Bischoff (she/her) is an independent producer based in California. Originally from the UK, Bridie started her career in the documentary world, helping make factual content for the BBC, PBS and History. In Cape Town, South Africa she honed her production skills on international commercials and US studio movies, and gained an interdepartmental understanding of filmmaking by working as assistant to the director on indie features. In 2017, she co-founded award-winning independent theatre company Atticist, producing plays in Edinburgh, London and New York, before moving to the US where she headed up Vespucci’s development (IP across multiple formats) and production (documentary) for five years, collaborating with journalists and filmmakers, and producing feature documentaries for premium streamers including Showtime/Paramount+ and Amazon.

Megan Clark — DP
Megan Clark (she/her) is a director of photography and multidisciplinary filmmaker. She was raised in the foothills of the Pacific Coast Range and is currently located in Portland, Oregon. Megan pursues integrity, simplicity, and honesty in her work. Her cinematography was recognized with a 2019 Webby Award nomination for the immersive India 100 series in collaboration with Times, a Daytime Emmy Award for outstanding cinematography on Magnolia Networks acclaimed series Growing Floret, three Vimeo Staff Picks, and has been featured at festivals like Doc NYC, SIFF, and Mountainfilm, and on platforms like Nowness. Megan’s collaborators include Time, Le Labo Fragrances, Planned Parenthood and Adidas.

Dan Sadowsky — Editor
Dan Sadowsky (he/him) is a documentary film editor who has been practicing the craft of nonfiction narrative storytelling in a variety of media for more than 25 years. Since 2013, he’s been helping documentary film directors tell stories that resonate emotionally with audiences and move them to action. His editing credits include three Oscar-nominated documentary shorts, Lifeboat, Hunger Ward and I Am Ready, Warden.

Make a donation to Symphony of Silence.

Contact

For inquiries, please contact fiscalsponsorship@filmindependent.org.