DDB New York and WATERisLIFE show how hard life in India’s slums can be with launch of gut- wrenching online film The Girl Who Couldn’t Cry

DDB New York, in partnership with Central Films North, today announced the launch of a gut-wrenching online film for WATERisLIFE, aptly titled, “The Girl Who Couldn’t Cry.”

The premise of the commercial is simple. Show the unbelievably tough life of a young girl growing up in the slums of India, who, despite her many hardships, never once cries. We see her born into a brothel, sorting trash at a landfill for meagre wages, being forced to marry underage and against her will, and finding out her mother is a prostitute, all without shedding a single tear.

VIEW THE SPOT

So how does this link back to clean water? With the simple fact that dehydration can prevent you from forming tears. Reminding us that no matter how bad a life situation is, it’s made so much worse by the lack of a basic necessity like clean water.

DDB New York’s campaign development process for this effort included months of research and planning to make sure that each scenario was based on hardships that children in India’s many slums have actually endured, like living on the streets or being subjected to sexual assault.

“Although the film is at times hard to watch, these are real things happening to real children on a daily basis,” said Matt Eastwood, chief creative officer of DDB New York. “It’s hard to think that on top of these terrible living conditions, these children don’t even have basic necessities like clean, accessible water. Imagine not being able to shed a tear when life is at its worst. It’s tragic even to consider.”

The film was shot by director Rodrigo Garcia Saiz over a two-week period in the slums of India, and shares some of the same locations as the Best Picture Oscar winner Slumdog Millionaire.

“As with our previous campaigns, donations from this video will go directly to help those without clean water in India,” commented Ken Surritte, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of WATERisLIFE. “The hope is that we will be able to provide clean water, proper sanitation and hygiene education to thousands of people as a result of this film.”

“The Girl Who Couldn’t Cry” marks the third effort for WATERisLIFE since they partnered with DDB New York in early 2012. Each campaign has been more successful than the last, with donations increasing by over 500% since this partnership began.

To donate or learn more about WATERisLIFE, visit waterislife.com. 

Agency: DDB New York

Mixer:  Tom Jucarone