On 26 January 2026, a press conference was held in Budapest by the A quiet friend The film crew of *[Title]*. Among those present at the event were Ildikó Enyedi, the film’s director, and one of its lead actors, Tony Leung (or Liang Chaowei in Mandarin). It was a great honour for us that Viktória Váradi, founder and organiser of the Imázsia Chinese Film Week, was also able to assist as an interpreter for the Asian superstar, all the more so as she had previously spoken with Ildikó Enyedi at the film forum held during the 2025 Imázsia Chinese Film Week about the circumstances surrounding the film’s creation.
One of the distinctive features of this film, with its beautiful visuals and soundscape, is that trees and plants remain at the centre of the narrative throughout. One of the film’s central characters is a ginkgo biloba tree several hundred years old, which, through its constant presence, acts as both a silent observer and a link between the storylines set across multiple time periods. At the end of the film, the plants are also credited by name in the credits.
According to Tony Leung, one of the most decisive factors for him when accepting a role is the director. He and Ildikó Enyedi hit it off right from their very first online meeting, and they have since developed a close friendship beyond their professional relationship. It was also particularly interesting to hear that, since filming the movie, the actor has come to see plants in a completely different light; when renovating his new house, he even instructed the architect not to cut down a single tree during the works.
A A quiet friend It will also be released in cinemas in China later this year, and we’d love to recommend it to everyone here at home too!
(Thanks to the staff at Xinhua News Agency for the photographs.)
