Silent Ones
Ricky Rijneke
info
Silent Ones, directed by Ricky Rijneke, is a film about a young Hungarian woman (Orsi Tóth) who wakes up inside a crashed car in the middle of nowhere, not knowing where her brother Isti is. He has vanished without a trace. Upset and alone without saying a word, Csilla leaves aboard a cargo ship heading to Western Europe to keep a promise she made to him. When Gábor (Roland Rába), a self-proclaimed business man assaults her and takes her last souvenir of Isti, Csilla loses grip on her life completely. The journey turns into a surreal trip on the fragile edge of life and death.
PRESS:
– The Hollywood Reporter:
“Arty thriller Silent Ones has a intriguing set-up and a stylish look, visually ravishing.”
– International Cinephile Society:
‘The chemistry between the two is amazing. It is somewhat reminiscent of Bruno Dumont’s Hors Satan, only much softer and warmer.
A powerful, very self-assured debut, Silent Ones confirms that the director is one to watch.”
– Slow Criticism Festivalists:
“Impressive first feature, ingenious non-linear structure. Echoes of great European directors like Tarkovski or Béla Tarr.”
– Jim Delvaux, BIFF Berlin
“Great film, this is uncompromising cinema, take it or leave it. I’m taking it”
– Danny Lennon, Curator Film PHI Centre Montreal
“Outstanding film debut. Attention talent! One of the best films I saw at the IFF Rotterdam.”
– De Volkskrant
“A wonderful discovery Silent Ones, the confident disrupting debut, Best Dutch Film”
Film Festivals:
Silent Ones premiered in Competition of the 42th International Film Festival Rotterdam nominated for the Tiger Award. The film was selected for competition for many major and independent international film festivals such as New Horizons (Competition), Mostra São Paulo (New Directors Competition), Sarajevo Film Festival (Official Selection), Moscow Film Festival (Official Selection), Films de Femmes de Créteil, New York No Limits FF, Berlin BIFF, Toronto IFF and many others.
Awards and Nominations:
Silent Ones won eleven awards out of fifteen nominations, among others Best Director, three times Best Film and three times Best Cinematography.
Cast & Crew:
Actress: Orsi Tóth
Director & screenplay: Ricky Rijneke
Production company: Rotterdam Films and Werkstad Producties
Producers: Mildred van Leeuwaarden & Dirk Rijneke
Music: Andrey Dergachev
Cinematography: Jean-Paul de Zaeytijd, Gergely Poharnok and Dirk Rijneke.
Sound: Tamas Zanyi
Country: Netherlands, Hungary
Lenght: 97 minutes 2013
Language: Hungarian
Shot on: 35 mm
Sales/distribution: WIDE Management / Eye on Film (EoF) Label / Filmfreak
about the director
Ricky Rijneke (1981) writer / director graduated as Master of Arts in European Media with honors. She is a film director who also works as a scriptwriter, editor and photographer. She participated in the Berlinale Talent Campus.
Her first short Wing, the fish that talked back premiered in Official Competition of the 60th Locarno International Film Festival nominated for the Golden Pardino (Leopards of Tomorrow) for young talent. This award winning film gained international acclaim at more then fifty international film festivals, such as Ghent (competition Prix UIP), San Francisco (Golden Gate Competition) Hamburg, Bilbao, Toronto, Paris, London, Teheran.
Her first feature Silent Ones premiered in Competition of the International Film Festival Rotterdam nominated for the Tiger Award. Selected for many major and independent international film festivals such as New Horizons, Films des Femmes Créteil, Mostra de Sao Paulo, Sarajevo, Los Angeles, Moscow, New York, Berlin, it won eleven awards out of fifteen nominations. Silent Ones released in Dutch film theatres for eight weeks received great critical acclaim. A film critic from leading Dutch newspaper ‘De Volkskrant’,ranked Silent Ones as Best Film of the year.
For Silent Ones, Rijneke brought together a choice selection of prize-winning European film talent including Berlinale’s shooting star Orsi Tóth (Delta, Women Without Men), cinematographers Gergely Pohárnok (Hukkle, Taxidermia) and Jean-Paul de Zaeytijd (Bouli Lanners’ regular DOP), sound Tamas Zanyi (Delta, Son of Saul). Andrey Dergachev (regular composer of Andrey Zvjagintsev (The Return, The Banishment, Loveless) designed the soundscape and composed the music. Actress and singer-songwriter Vanessa Paradis contributed with her famous song ‘Joe Le Taxi’.
Quote director about international talent: “I like to work with people who inspire me and who fit in with the film. It doesn’t matter where they come from. I listen to my cameraman, composer and actors and let them inspire me. It is all about curiosity, open-mindedness and working in an atmosphere with people from different backgrounds. That will open new views, it opens your eyes, and creates new skills.”