Silent Friend (Cinecity)

Part of Cinecity 2026 at Depot. Introduced by Dr Joanna Smallwood, University of Sussex Environmental Justice Law Clinic.

In the heart of a botanical garden, in a German university town, stands a majestic ginkgo tree that bears witness to three generations of people as they explore the hidden secrets of botanical life, and are quietly transformed by the mysterious power of nature. In 1908, the university’s first female student is admitted to the Department of Botany; in 1972, a student is transformed by the simple act of observing a geranium; in 2020, a neuroscientist from Hong Kong (a wonderful performance by Tony Leung Chiu-wai) develops an experiment with the tree.

A visually stunning, century-spanning meditation on the hidden bonds between humans and nature.

‘Beguiling, wildly original ode to better living through botany.’ - Guy Lodge, Variety

This screening marks Lewes’ Rights of Trees Charter, which recognises trees as living beings with intrinsic ecological, cultural and community value.