Tony Leung Chiu-Wai to feature in Hungarian filmmaker Ildiko Enyedi's 'Silent Friend'

Los Angeles: Hong Kong star Tony Leung Chiu-Wai is set to star in "Silent Friend", an upcoming film from Hungarian director Ildiko Enyedi.

The movie is Enyedi’s follow up to the 2021 film “The Story of My Wife” which competed at Cannes, and “On Body and Soul”, the 2017 feature that was nominated for an Oscar.

“Silent Friend” is set in the botanical garden of Marburg, a medieval university town in Germany, and tells three stories connected to a tree over a period of more than 100 years, according to Variety.

Penned by Enyedi, the film sheds light on the volatile nature of so-called reality, showing the radical shifts in human perception of plants, animals and humans.

Leung, the star of internationally-acclaimed films such as "In The Mood For Love", "2046", "Happy Together" and "Chungking Express", will feature as the main lead in the film's third segment.

The 61-year-old actor will essay the role of a renowned neuroscientist travelling from his hometown of Hong Kong to the Marburg Faculty.

“The whole storyline of his episode is defined by those personal  sensibilities I could only guess behind the brilliant actor. I was absolutely humbled that from the first read of the script he became such a  great partner in the thinking  not just about his role but about  the whole project,” Enyedi said.

"Silent Friend" is being produced by German banner Pandora Film along with co-producers -- Monika Mecs of Inform M and M, Nicolas Elghozi at Galatee Films and Meng Xie at Rediance.

The film will start shooting across multiple seasons starting in April 2024.