On the grounds of a medieval German university town looms an imposing Ginkgo biloba, a tree whose longevity stands in marked contrast to three intimate, human-scaled stories. In 1908, the university’s first female student (Luna Wedler) gains admission into the prestigious botany department, confronting the sexism of both professors and peers. In 1972, amidst counterculture movements, a reserved student (Enzo Brumm) finds his attention captured by a fellow housemate and the geranium plant she studies. In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, a neuroscientist from Hong Kong (Tony Leung Chiu-Wai) secures the help of a renowned botanist (Léa Seydoux) for an experiment on the old ginkgo tree.
In Hungarian writer-director Ildikó Enyedi’s unclassifiable film, the rhythms of non-human life supersede any human-centered drama. Formally audacious and texturally varied — its three sections are rendered in 35mm black-and-white, lush 16mm, and crisp digital film, respectively — Silent Friend is a singular meditation on how we connect to the natural world, and to each other.
Marcello Mastroianni Best Young Actor (Luna Wedler), Venice 2025
Community Partner
Tony Leung Chiu-Wai, Luna Wedler, Enzo Brumm, Sylvester Groth, Martin Wuttke, Léa Seydoux
Gemany/France/Hungary
2025
In German and English with English subtitles
Book Tickets
Credits & Director
Executive Producer
Allons Voir
Producer
Reinhard Brundig, Mónika Mécs, Nicolas Elghozi, Meng Xie
Screenwriter
Ildikó Enyedi
Cinematography
Gergely Pálos
Editor
Károly Szalai
Production Design
Imola Láng
Original Music
Gábor Keresztes, Kristóf Kelemen
Ildikó Enyedi
Ildikó Enyedi is a Hungarian film director and screenwriter. Her 2017 film On Body and Soul won the Golden Bear at the 67th Berlin International Film Festival and went on to be nominated for a Best Foreign Language Film Academy Award. She has directed eight feature films since 1989 including My Twentieth Century (1989), which won the Caméra d’Or in Cannes, and The Story of My Wife (2021), which was nominated for the Palme d’Or.
Filmography: Magic Hunter (1994); A Gyar (1995); Tamas and Juli (1997); Simon, the Magician (1999); On Body and Soul (2017); The Story of My Wife (2021)
Photo by Kery Kovacs
Missing VIFF? Check out what's playing at the VIFF Centre
Frankenstein
Frankenstein and Guillermo del Toro might have been made for each other. The movie does not disappoint, a ripping yarn of grand adventure, spectacle, hubris, passion and XXL body parts, a tale of the fantastic that rings the imagination. Screening in 35mm.
Predators
"Punk'd for pedophiles." That's what Jimmy Kimmel called Chris Hansen's true crime/reality TV show, To Catch a Predator (2004-07). Two decades on, David Osit examines why the show made such an impact, for good or ill, and sits down with Hansen himself.
The Outcasts
One of earliest examples of "folk horror", The Outcasts (1982) draws on Irish mythology and folktales to eerie effect. Simple Maura is rumoured to have spent the night with the mythical fiddler Scarf Michael, with dire consequences for all... Screening followed by a panel discussion on Irish horror.