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WHAT IF A TREE COULD REMEMBER US?At the heart of SILENT FRIEND stands an ancient ginkgo tree in a German botanical garden, a silent witness to more than a century of human life.
Across three different eras (1908, 1972 and 2020) three people encounter the natural world in unexpected ways: a pioneering female university student discovers hidden patterns in plants through photography; a young student forms an unlikely connection with a geranium; and a neuroscientist from Hong Kong, played by the wonderful Tony Leung Chiu-wai, begins an unusual experiment with the ancient tree.
Their stories gradually ask us to look differently at the world around us and to consider connection, belonging, nature and what it really means to be alive.
From acclaimed Hungarian filmmaker Ildikó Enyedi, Silent Friend premiered in competition at the 2025 Venice Film Festival, where it won multiple awards, including the FIPRESCI International Critics' Prize and the Marcello Mastroianni Award for Luna Wedler.
Critics have called it “a profoundly moving experience” and “a reminder that you are alive.”
Beautiful, meditative and unlike anything else on our program this year, Silent Friend is the kind of film that may have you looking at the trees around you a little differently when you leave the cinema.
Watch the trailer below and join us for this fascinating experience. All welcome.
Language: German, English, and Cantonese with English subtitles
Runtime: 2hr 27min / Genre: Drama/History / Rated: M
MFS Members: $12 / Non-Members: $22
MFS Membership: $10 / Wallis Members: $15
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