In the heart of a botanical garden in a medieval university town in Germany stands a majestic ginkgo tree. This silent witness has observed over a century the quiet rhythms of transformation across three human lives. 2020, a neuroscientist from Hong Kong, exploring the mind of babies, begins an unexpected experiment with the old tree. 1972, a young student is profoundly changed by the simple act of observing and connecting with a geranium. 1908, the university’s first female student discovers, through the lens of photography, sacred patterns of the universe hidden within the humblest of plants. We follow their clumsy, awkward attempts to connect — each one of them deeply rooted in their own present — as they are transformed by the quiet, enduring, and mysterious power of nature. The ancient ginkgo tree brings us closer to what it means to be human — to our longing to belong.
Programme Strand: Special Screening
Curators notes: A fallen leaf in late autumn initiates a meditation on plant sentience. Through the textures of cinematography and technology, Silent Friend captures the subtle links that have endured for centuries like ancient proverbs. This quiet nexus, lingering beyond the reach of human perception, which has been woven long ago between us, and even between the organic, and the inorganic. The Eastern wisdom of “seeing a world in a flower” unfolds here as a transcendence of our human-centered lens. As we find ourselves confined within physical and digital walls, the film guides us to listen to the breath of “the other.” This mutual gaze is more than a poetic union between man and nature; it is a defiant answer to the question, “What is cinema?”. Even as the aura of art is eroded by the noise of modern life, cinema remains the resonance that transcends language. In the silence of all things, resonance speaks for itself. (Xiyun Li, translated by Jiayi Zhao)
Year of Production: 2025
Duration: 147 min
Genres: Drama/Sci-fi
Production Countries/Regions: Germany Hungary France China
Dialogue Language(s): English German Cantonese
Subtitle Language(s): English
Director(s): Ildikó Enyedi
Producer(s): Nicolas Elghozi, Meng Xie, Morgane Olivier
Executive Producer(s): Allons Voir
Premiere Status: Cumbria Premiere
Key Casts: Tony Leung Chiu-Wai, Luna Wedler, Enzo Brumm, Léa Seydoux, and more
This event is followed by a Director Q&A
For more information on festival programmes, events and films, please visit MINT Chinese Film Festival’s website: www.unicornscreening.com
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