(2025, Germany, France, Hungary, 145')
For her eighth feature film, the Hungarian director once again entrusts her storytelling to the force of nature. Three episodes set in 1908, 1972, and 2020—shot respectively on 35 mm, 16 mm, and digital—are connected by the presence of a grand Ginkgo Biloba, an arboreal character silently observing human destinies across a century. The stories unfold primarily in the Botanical Garden of Marburg (at the University of Marburg) and in urban settings in Cologne, with additional scenes set in Paris and Hong Kong. The international cast is led by Tony Leung Chiu-wai (Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement at Venice in 2023), who plays a neuroscientist from Hong Kong, a role written specifically for him during the script’s development.
Ildikó Enyedi (Budapest, 1955) is a Hungarian film director and screenwriter. With her debut My 20th Century (1989), she won the Caméra d’Or at Cannes. After films such as Magic Hunter (1994) and Tamás and Juli (1997), she received the Golden Bear at the Berlinale with On Body and Soul (2017), which was also nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. In her work, Enyedi explores with sensitivity the relationship between the individual, nature, and imagination, confirming herself as one of the most original voices in contemporary European cinema.
Daily 2025
Silent Friend by Ildikó Enyedi: nature, memory, and human destinies
