Silent Friend
2025 film by Ildikó Enyedi
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Silent Friend (German: Stiller Freund) is a 2025 film written and directed by Ildikó Enyedi. Starring Tony Leung Chiu-wai, Léa Seydoux, Luna Wedler, Sylvester Groth and Martin Wuttke, it follows a single gingko tree through three loosely connected stories in different eras: 1908, 1972, and 2020, taking place in the old university town of Marburg, Germany.[2]
- Reinhard Brundig
- Nicolas Elghozi
- Mónika Mécs
- Meng Xie
| Silent Friend | |
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| German | Stille Freundin |
| Directed by | Ildikó Enyedi |
| Written by | Ildikó Enyedi |
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| Starring |
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| Cinematography | Gergely Pálos |
| Edited by | Károly Szalai |
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Release date |
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Running time | 147 minutes[1] |
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The film had its world premiere in the main competition of the 82nd Venice International Film Festival on 5 September 2025, where it won the FIPRESCI Prize and the Marcello Mastroianni Award for Wedler.
Cast
- Tony Leung Chiu-wai as Dr Tony Wong
- Léa Seydoux as Alice Sauvage
- Luna Wedler as Grete
- Enzo Brumm as Hannes
- Sylvester Groth as Anton
- Yun Huang as Jule
- Martin Wuttke
- Johannes Hegemann as Thomas
- Rainer Bock
- Marlene Burow as Gundula
- Jan Hofmann
Production
Tony Leung Chiu-wai was announced as a cast member in August 2023; director Ildikó Enyedi stated that she wrote Leung's role specifically for him.[3] Silent Friend marks Leung's second film outside of Asia, after Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021), and his first European production.[4]
In November 2023, the film received a €500,000 production grant from Eurimages.[5] The Hesse Film Office awarded the film €550,000.[6][7]
Principal photography began in April 2024. The film was primarily shot in Marburg, specifically at the Alter Botanischer Garten Marburg at the University of Marburg.[6][7] Filming also took place in Cologne.[2]
Release
Films Boutique acquired the international sales rights to the film in May 2024.[8] The film was presented at the Cannes Film Market in May 2025.[9] A trailer was released on 4 September 2025.[10] The film had its world premiere in the main competition of the 82nd Venice International Film Festival on 5 September 2025,[11] followed by its North American premiere on 9 September at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival.[12] It was also screened at the BFI London Film Festival.[13] In November 2025, Silent Friend screened at the 46th Cairo International Film Festival where Ildikó Enyedi received a lifetime achievement Award and presented a masterclass titled "Poetry of reality".[14]
Reception
Critical response
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 100% of 19 critics' reviews are positive.[15]
Stephanie Bunbury of Deadline wrote that the film is "beautiful, elusive and peppered with provocative nuggets about the nature of life and our place in it."[16]
Accolades
| Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Venice Film Festival | 6 September 2025 | Golden Lion | Ildikó Enyedi | Nominated | [17] |
| FIPRESCI Prize | Won | [18] | |||
| Premio CinemaSarà | Won | ||||
| Edipo Re Award | Won | ||||
| Green Drop Award | Won | ||||
| Leoncino d'Oro Award – Cinema of UNICEF | Won | ||||
| Marcello Mastroianni Award | Luna Wedler | Won | [19] | ||
| Chicago International Film Festival | 24 October 2025 | Gold Hugo | Silent Friend | Nominated | [20] |
| Best Cinematography | Gergely Pálos | Won | [21] | ||
| Valladolid International Film Festival | 1 November 2025 | Silver Spike | Silent Friend | Won | [22] |
