Hungary has chosen Ildikó Enyedi’s “Silent Friend” as its submission for the best international feature film category at the 2027 Academy Awards. The film, starring Tony Leung Chiu-Wai, Luna Wedler, Enzo Brumm and Léa Seydoux, is a poetic exploration of the relationship between humans, plants and time.
The film received six awards at the 82nd Venice Film Festival and was nominated for the FIPRESCI Grand Prix. Variety’s Guy Lodge described the film as “loving, very funny and abundantly fertile,” stating that after viewing it, “hugging the nearest tree doesn’t seem like enough — it deserves your warmest embrace.” Earlier this year, “Silent Friend” was named best film at the 45th Hungarian Film Week in Budapest, with Gergely Pálos receiving the award for best cinematography, Károly Szalai winning best editing, and Mónika Mécs being honored as best producer.
“Silent Friend” is a co-production between Germany’s Pandora Film, Hungary’s Inforg-M&M Film and France’s Galatée Films, in collaboration with China’s Rediance Films. Reinhard Brundig and Mécs produced the film, which received support from Hungary’s National Film Institute. Distribution is handled by 1-2 Special in the U.S., with Films Boutique managing world sales.
The selection committee included cinematographer Mátyás Erdély, screenwriter and director Gyula Gazdag, film historian and critic Gábor Gelencsér, festival organizer Kristóf Horváth, director Ágnes Kocsis and producer Sára László. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will announce the shortlist of nominees on Dec. 15, with the final selections revealed on Jan. 21. The 99th Academy Awards ceremony is scheduled for March 14 in Los Angeles.
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