Why You Can’t Miss ‘Silent Friend’: A Deep Dive into Tony Leung’s First European Film

Tony Leung / Photo=DB

[Sports Today reporter Im Si-ryeong] The Tony Leung–led The Silent Friend, an official selection of the 82nd Venice International Film Festival, opens on April 15. To promote the film, star Tony Leung and director Ildikó Enyedi will travel to South Korea from April 2 through April 4 to meet audiences.

On the 12th, distributor Andamiro confirmed that Enyedi and Leung will visit Korea April 2–4 for promotional events and public screenings.

The Silent Friend revolves around a single ginkgo tree and links people across three eras—1908, 1972 and 2020—whose lives quietly intersect around the tree.

The film marks Tony Leung’s first Europe-launched project and his first promotional trip to Korea in 18 years, since visiting Seoul in 2008 for Red Cliff. Leung has returned to Korea repeatedly for shoots and events over the years. His visits include promotions spanning his career: 1991’s Cheophyeolgadu, 1998’s Happy Together, 2003’s Hero: The Beginning, 2003’s Infernal Affairs, and 2008’s Red Cliff. This April visit for The Silent Friend is therefore a notable promotional return after 18 years. After the film received an official invitation to last year’s Busan International Film Festival, Leung and Enyedi attended the festival in Busan; they will now travel to Seoul ahead of the domestic release to show their support for the film and their appreciation for Korean audiences.

Director Ildikó Enyedi, the celebrated European auteur who has won awards at three major international film festivals, will join Leung in Seoul and is expected to draw strong interest. Enyedi previously visited Korea in 2017 when her film We Dream the Same Dream opened the Jeonju International Film Festival, and she returned to Busan last year when The Silent Friend received an invitation to the festival. This will be her first time visiting Seoul to promote this film, adding extra significance to the trip.

From April 2 through April 4, Tony Leung and director Ildikó Enyedi will carry out a three-day promotional schedule in Seoul and will appear at screenings and events; the full program will be announced at a later date.

The Silent Friend has already drawn international acclaim. The film traces a majestic ginkgo tree that has stood since 1832 and quietly witnessed humanity, connecting three characters across more than a century: Grete, the university’s first female student in 1908; Hannes, a young man attuned to plants in 1972; and Tony, a solitary neuroscientist in 2020. The film has earned praise from major international outlets and drew enthusiastic responses at home after being officially invited to the ICON section of the 30th Busan International Film Festival. News of this promotional visit will no doubt be welcomed by fans.

The Silent Friend opens April 15.

[Sports Today reporter Im Si-ryeong ent@stoo.com]
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