"Fuelled By Silence"

27 August 2026

75s

It's the drive, man!

18 year old Welsh motorsport driver Caleb McDduff is looking for sponsors and this imaginative film from agency Hijinks is a great way to drive attention to him, the challenges he faces as a deaf man, and the opportunity to support him as he rises through the ranks. As might be expected of a film that focuses on aural disability, the key to the whole thing is sound. Director Lee J Ford has received magnificent support from King Lear's Theo Vernon and Phil Smith, who supervised the driver's voice performance.

Ford himself was responsible for the otherworldly VFX which brings to life the idea that McDuff is on another planet as he traverses an intrinsically loud sport through silence, and this too helps to make this a highly compelling piece of content.

It's perhaps ironic that AI was used to build the background universe when it is McDuff's humanity that comes to the fore. The teenager's determination to rise above a disability that many of us might think would prove too big an obstacle shines through and we cannot help but be impressed by his authenticity and, if you'll forgive the pun, his drive.

UK

Short Film