Director Lynne Ramsay ("Ratcatcher," "We Need to Talk About Kevin") helms a powerful cinema ad released this week by the UN World Food Programme, illustrating how hunger is still robbing children of their futures across the world.

The film, conceived by Sir John Hegarty out of his incubator venture The Garage Soho, was created in conjunction with the Global Cinema Advertising Association and aims to shine a light on the potential that is lost every time a child dies of hunger.  It opens with a woman surrounded by photographers receiving a prestigious award for "groundbreaking medical research." But as the flashbulbs continue to off, she speaks to the camera, informing us that there is "no discovery, no breakthrough"--because, as the film chillingly reveals, she actually died from hunger at the age of eight. 

“The creative challenge here is to find a way of engaging the audience without resorting to endless images of starving children. Creating empathy by reminding the viewer that when a child dies, we all lose,” says Hegarty in a statement.

At the conclusion of the film, the audience is then prompted to download the UN World Food Programme's ShareTheMeal app, using technology to make a difference. Emerging from the Cannes Lions "Hack for Good," a Facebook Messenger integration was also created for the ad  that allows viewers to scan or search for the ShareTheMeal Messenger bot, and find out more details about Miriam and her story.

The film is being distributed to cinemas globally to over 25 countries, coinciding with the United Nations General Assembly this week. It will also be supported online by Facebook and Instagram.