Terrence Malick Directed a Don Cheadle-Narrated Short Film for Ford
Photo: Ford/YouTube
When you’re talking about the most visually appealing films of all time, the name Terrence Malick comes up a fair amount. Recently, Ford secured the services of the legendary filmmaker for a short film starring the 2022 F-150 Lightning and the voice of Don Cheadle.
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For those who may not know, Terrence Malick is quite a bit more accomplished than directing a mere Ford commercial. His 1978 film, Days of Heaven, is very possibly one of the most beautiful films ever lensed. He’s also been quite prolific over the past decade with an output that includes acclaimed films like The Tree of Life, To the Wonder, and A Hidden Life.
And, yes, Terrence Malick is also the director of a new Ford short film called “Leading the Electric Revolution and Sustainability.” Go and get that Ford money, Terrence Malick.
It’s got a lot of the Malick hallmarks, including sweeping landscapes, open skies, and lots of natural lighting. Like what you see? Go watch The New World. There’s nary a truck in sight, but it’s still great.
This gorgeous little short first aired in September when Ford announced plans to open massive battery production plants in Kentucky and Tennessee. Wieden+Kennedy worked with Ford on the short, which features Academy Award-nominee Don Cheadle’s narration.
The short shows a team of surveyors in a field — presumably in either Stanton, Tennessee, or Glendale, Kentucky. The team arrives at dawn in a 2022 Ford F-150 Lightning and puts in a full day’s work. That work? Picking a site for one of the newly announced campuses.
“This factory will be more than a factory,” Cheadle intones. “It’s a reason to believe in the promise of tomorrow.”
Ford’s Blue Oval City in Tennessee and BlueOval SK Battery Park in Kentucky will both open in 2025. The former will build next-generation F-150 vehicles and batteries, and the latter will include two battery plants.
Ford is no stranger to pulling in big talent for its commercials. Ford recently worked with Peter Berg on a campaign aimed at encouraging people to keep wearing masks and with directors Nicolas Winding Refn and Gus Van Sant on campaigns for Lincoln.
Kyle S. Johnson lives in Cincinnati, a city known by many as “the Cincinnati of Southwest Ohio.” He enjoys professional wrestling, Halloween, and also other things. He has been writing for a while, and he plans to continue to write well into the future. See more articles by Kyle.