Feature film in production
When the Voiceless Roar
When a small town is threatened by a corporate takeover, its people band together to reclaim who they are and what they stand for: each other.
Written and directed by Elaine Zicree. Produced by Marc and Elaine Zicree.
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Explore the Showrunners Network campaignExpanded synopsis
When a small town is threatened by a corporate takeover, its people band together to reclaim who they are and what they stand for: each other.
Lockston is a small Midwestern town under pressure from a corporate takeover and the slow erosion of work, dignity and trust. Farmer Mike Caites is respected in the community, but privately haunted by trauma he cannot name. Into town come Jen and Robert, attending an insurance convention while Jen dreams of building an advocacy service for people institutions ignore - the Little Guys.
The threat is economic, but its deepest damage is intimate. Mayor Fred Aimes and UMD promise inevitability while townspeople carry abuse, shame, unemployment and despair in silence. Eric, Chloey, Ruth, Hannah, Billy, Pat Hancock, Dr. Nora Chai and others are not a single voting bloc. They are people whose private wounds have convinced them their voices cannot matter.
At a volatile town hall, Mike rejects that isolation. He speaks about dignity, local enterprise and the power of neighbors acting together, then announces his candidacy. Matthew Simms, whose own voice was burned away by fire and a mob, delivers the film's challenge in writing: 'My voice was burned out by fire and a mob. Don't let this mob burn you out, too.' The story turns collective action into compassion made visible.
A feature in production
A town finds its voice.
Go behind the scenes with director Elaine Zicree and the cast of When the Voiceless Roar.
Elaine Zicree directing · Work-in-progress production photographyThemes
The questions driving the story
Theme
Dignity is political
The fight is not only over property and jobs. It is over whether ordinary people believe they deserve to be heard.
Theme
Silence has a cost
Characters carry private pain until speaking becomes an act of survival.
Theme
Community is practical hope
The town's answer is not a speech alone. It is shared work, local enterprise and people showing up for one another.
Theme
A work in progress
Real production stills and behind-the-scenes images let supporters follow the film as it is being made.
Characters
The people at the heart of the story
Mike Caites
A farmer and community anchor whose unresolved trauma collides with a call to public leadership.
Jen
A visitor whose idea for the Little Guys becomes a new way to imagine advocacy and belonging.
Eric
A young man learning that courage can mean remaining present when anger would be easier.
Chloey
A perceptive young woman whose emotional honesty cuts through the town's practiced silence.
Ruth
A resilient elder played by Barbara Bain, carrying memory, humor and moral clarity.
Fred Aimes
The mayor whose alliance with UMD frames surrender as the only realistic choice.
Matthew Simms
A man robbed of his physical voice who becomes the clearest symbol of refusing erasure.
Pat Hancock
One of the townspeople whose personal struggle reveals the human cost beneath economic headlines.
Work in progress
Production photography from the feature
On set with the cast and filmmakers of When the Voiceless Roar.
Creative team
Writers, producers and artists
Elaine Zicree
Founder, writer, director and producer
Attached to: When the Voiceless Roar
A filmmaker, writer, producer and actor coach who co-leads Space Command Studios and The Table, and is directing the feature When the Voiceless Roar.
Marc Scott Zicree
Founder, writer, director and producer
Attached to: When the Voiceless Roar
A five-decade genre storyteller, author and filmmaker who has written and produced for landmark science-fiction series while building independent worlds with audiences.
Attached performers
The actors bringing the story to life
Aaron Gaffey
Actor
Attached to: When the Voiceless Roar
A screen actor and producer bringing a grounded, lived-in presence to the central role of Mike Caites.
Andra Lanae
Actor
Attached to: When the Voiceless Roar
An actor and model whose work in Space Command led to the emotionally pivotal role of Chloey in When the Voiceless Roar.
Barbara Bain
Actor
Attached to: When the Voiceless Roar
An Emmy-winning icon of television whose work helped define intelligent espionage and science-fiction drama.
Armin Shimerman
Actor
Attached to: When the Voiceless Roar
A distinguished stage, screen and voice actor whose characters have become touchstones of genre television and gaming.
Photo credit
Photo by Super Festivals. Source photograph, CC BY 2.0. Source image displayed without additional cropping.
Production readiness
Built to move forward
Principal photography is underway. The screenplay, assembled cast, completed footage and recent production stills give backers a direct view into the film's next stage.
