The Ornithologist
A Film by João Pedro Rodrigues
2016 - France/Brazil/Portugal - Drama - 1:2.387 - 118 min.
with Paul Hamy , Xelo Cagiao , João Pedro Rodrigues , Han Wen , Chan Suan & Juliane Elting
Language: Portugese
Produced by Vincent Wang , Alex García , Maria Fernanda Scardino , João Figueiras , Diogo Varela Silva , Antoine Barraud & Gustavo Ángel
As he treks through the north of Portugal in search of rare birds, Fernando is swept away by the river rapids. Rescued by a couple of Chinese pilgrims, he tries to find his way back home through the eerie, dark forests, where uncanny encounters put him to the test. He soon becomes a different man, inspired, perhaps even enlightened…
In Collection:
Official Competition
More Films
Wishing on a Star
A film by Peter Kerekes
2024 - Italy/Slovakia/Czech Republic/Austria/Croatia - Documentary/Non Fiction - 99 min.
Luciana, a Neapolitan astrologer, has a method to make her clients’ wishes come true. All they need to do is take a trip on their birthday to a precise destination to be reborn under a new sky. Whether it’s Taipei, Beirut, or a nearby village, during these birthday journeys, the protagonists will go through unexpected transformations to help them discover what they truly desire.
Monument to Michael Jackson
A film by Darko Lungulov
2014 - Serbia - Comedy/Drama - 2.35 DCP - 95 min.
In a dying town in Serbia daydreamer Marko is on the verge of divorce from the love of his life, Ljubinka. When an old communist-era monument is removed from the Main Square, he comes up with the idea to build a monument to Michael Jackson in order to save his town and seduce his wife again. But the town's mayor has his own plans.
Silent Friend
A film by Ildiko Enyedi
2025 - Germany/Hungary/France - Drama - 147 min.
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.


