Ildikó Enyedi's latest film, 'Silent Friend', premiered at the Venice Film Festival on Friday evening, receiving a standing ovation lasting five minutes and 22 seconds. The applause in the Sala Grande was enthusiastic, only dying down as the cast and crew made their way to the exits, led by co-star Léa Seydoux.
The Oscar-nominated Hungarian director's film intertwines three time periods, all set in a botanical garden in a medieval German university town. A majestic ginkgo tree serves as a silent witness to the transformations of three human lives: a neuroscientist from Hong Kong in 2020, a young student in 1972, and the university's first female student in 1908.
Deadline's Stephanie Bunbury called the film 'Beautiful, elusive and peppered with provocative nuggets about the nature of life and our place in it.' During the press conference, Enyedi urged the preservation of free research and science, which she said are 'under attack'.
Tony Leung Chiu-wai, who appears via video, said his research for the role gave him 'a different perspective about the world' and that he began to 'have strange feelings about trees'. The film also stars Luna Wedler and Enzo Brumm.
Produced by Pandora Film, Inforg-M&M Film, Galatée Films, and Rediance Films, 'Silent Friend' is being handled internationally by Films Boutique. Enyedi last competed on the Lido in 1994 with 'Magic Hunter'.
