The latest film by Hungarian master of symbols Ildikó Enyedi - Silent Friend - premiered at the Venice Film Festival and, in addition to a Golden Lion nomination, received six awards, including the Marcello Mastroianni Prize for Best Young Actress (for Luna Wedler), the FIPRESCI Prize and the special Green Drop Award. The connection with nature and the relationships between people continue to be leading themes in the stories that Enyedi recreates with flair and skill, and the film stars the legendary Tony Leung Chiu-wai, making his debut in European art-house cinema. His role is that of a modern-day researcher, with the plot threads spanning in three time periods and focusing on the destinies of different characters. Here is what Variety and The Hollywood Reporter share in their reviews:
"The film is as natural and earthy as the green flora it gazes upon... and tells the story of three characters who similarly learn to adjust their gaze and inner rhythm to the calmer patience of plant life." "Ennedi is a master with a style that combines visual poetry with delicate humor or grand ideas with everyday frailties - and she does so in a film that explores the mysterious connection of humans with the green world, but also between us."
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Director, cinematographer and photographer Vincent Munier has dedicated his work to the connection with wildlife. For the film The Velvet Queen, which he created with Marie Amiguet in search of the extremely rare snow leopards in the high mountains of Tibet, he received the César for best documentary and premiered in the Climate Cinema section at the Cannes Film Festival. At the beginning of the millennium, Munier was the first photographer to win the Eric Hosking Award three times – a prestigious recognition of his skills from the Natural History Museum, London.
His latest film is Whispers in the Woods. In an attempt to pass on his knowledge to his son, gathered over the years by his father and careful observation of wildlife, the film intertwines the perspectives of three generations in a shared fascination. A metaphysical visual story with a contemplative atmosphere, Whispers in the Woods also includes music by Warren Ellis, the famous collaborator of Nick Cave. The sound of this poetic tale is brilliant and gives the audience a chance to hear the whispers of the forest. The film urges the audience immerse themselves in contemplation of nature and imperceptibly puts man in his place - as an ordinary actor in the great universal mechanism, in which every small living creature has its role.
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