When the Woodlark Sings
After his bachelor party, a 45-year-old man wakes up in the middle of the forest but cannot find his way out. On the way he meets a young woman with memory problems who knows the way out of the forest despite all the circumstances. They make a deal: he helps her get her memories back and she takes him out of the forest. - But their journey out of the forest together takes them down paths they didn't expect.
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Ana BilicDirector
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Ana BilicWriter
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Danilo WimmerProducer
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Ana BilicProducer
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Danilo WimmerKey Cast"Alex"
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Valentina HimmelbauerKey Cast"Junge Frau"
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Project Title (Original Language):Wenn die Heidelerche singt
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Project Type:Feature
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Genres:Arthouse, Drama, Mystery
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Runtime:1 hour 57 minutes 10 seconds
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Completion Date:January 1, 2022
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Country of Origin:Austria
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Country of Filming:Austria
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Language:German
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Shooting Format:Digital
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Aspect Ratio:16:9
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Film Color:Black & White and Color
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First-time Filmmaker:Yes
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Student Project:No
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Bogocine 39 - Festival de cine de BogotáBogotá
Colombia
Official Selection - International Feature Film Competition -
NewFilmmakers NYNew York
United States
Semi-Finalist - Best Feature Film -
INFLUX Film AwardsHuntington Beach, CA
United States
Award Winner - Best International Film -
The IndieFEST Film AwardsLa Jolla, CA
United States
Award of Merit – Film Feature; Award of Merit – Script / Writer -
Blow-Up Arthouse FilmfestChicago
United States
Semi-Finalist - Film Feature -
Top Indie Film AwardsTokyo
Japan
Best Feature – Nominee, Best Original Idea – Nominee, Best Actress – Winner, No Budget Spirit – Nominee -
Digital Griffix Film FestivalMontreal
Canada
Nominee - Best First Time Director -
Mediterranean Film FestivalCannes
France
Official Selection - Best Director -
AltFF Alternative Film FestivalToronto
Canada
Nominee - Best Director -
SANFICI Santander Festival Internacional de Cine IndependienteBucaramanga
Colombia
Sellecion Official - Competenica Internacional de Largometrajes -
The Macoproject Film FestivalNew York
United States
Semi-Finalist - Best Feature Film -
Vesuvius International Film FestCampania
Italy
Award Winner - Best Feature Movie -
Couch Film FestivalToronto
Canada
Award Winner - Best Writer, Nominee - Best Actress -
Florence Film AwardsFlorence
Italy
Honorable Mention - Best Original Score; Official Selection - Best Original Screenplay -
Milan Gold AwardsMilan
Italy
Honorable Mention - Original Score -
Rome International Film AwardsRome
Italy
Award Winner - Best First Time Director; Award Winner - Best Mystery Film -
Hollywood Gold AwardsLos Angeles
United States
Honorable Mention - Best Original Screenplay -
Golden Bridge Istanbul Short Film FestivalIstanbul
Turkey
Official Selection – Best Feature Film; Official Selection – Best Female Director -
Top LIne Distribution ShowcaseLos Angeles
United States
Award Winner - Best Narrative Feature Film -
8 & HalFilm AwardsRoma
Italy
Award Winner - Best Original Score -
Tokyo Film AwardsTokyo
Japan
Golden Award Winner - Best 1st Time Filmmaker -
Crown Point International Film FestivalChicago
United States
Award Winner - 1st Time Director; Award Winner - Original Score -
Sweet Democracy Film AwardsCannes
France
Award Winner - Best Mystery Film; Official Selection - Best Screenplay -
London Movie AwardsLondon
United Kingdom
Silver Award Winner - Best Original Screenplay -
International Motion Picture AwardsBrooklin
Canada
Award Winner - Best Director -
New York Neorealism Film AwardsRome
Italy
Official Selection – Best Original Score -
Europe Film FestivalLondon
United Kingdom
Jury Diamond Awards Winner – Feature / Best First-Time Director -
Iconic Images Film FestivalVilnus
Lithuania
Official Selection – Best Female Director; Official Selection – Best Drama Film -
4theatre selection.Tempe, Arizona
United States
Official Selection – Best Director -
Hollywood on the Tiber Film AwardsRome
Italy
Award Winner - Best Original Screenplay -
International World Film AwardsNew York
United States
Official Selection - Best First Time Director -
Stanley Film AwardsLondon
United Kingdom
Award Winner - Best Original Score; Official Selection - Best Screenplay -
Frida Film FestivalTempe, Arizona
United States
Official Selection - Original Screenplay -
Madrid International Movie AwardsMadrid
Spain
Award Winner - Best Mystery Film; Award Winner - Best Actor -
Sydney Australian Film FestivalSydney
Australia
Official Selection - Best Soundtrack
ANA BILIĆ – born 1962 in Zagreb, lives and works in Vienna since 1995. She has been involved with film as a screenwriter and director since 2010.
- Screenwriting workshop „Diverse Geschichten“ by Witcraft Szenario Vienna (2009/2010)
- Acting course by Nora Paul, Vienna (2009)
- Film Editing and Montage Seminar at the Münchener Film Werkstatt, Germany (2018)
- Film Distribution Seminar at the Münchener Film Werkstatt, Germany (2019)
2010 - "Home Sweet Home", experimental short film – script, director
2013 - "Talk to me!", experimental short film – script, director, camera
2016 - "About My Man", short film – script, director, performance
2018 - "Tea Party", experimental short film – script, director
2022 - "When the Woodlark Sings", feature film – script, director, camera, editor, production
The main theme of my film is the lack of love as the spiritus movens of human life. To remedy this lack of love, I sent my protagonists on a physical and an inner journey. And here comes the interesting thing: the deeper the film characters penetrate into the forest, the deeper the viewer penetrates into the characters. But the path into the depths of the characters and into the depths of the forest no longer remains linear as it was at first, but soon becomes complex and therefore exciting and thrilling. I gave the forest a timeless role and let it appear as a character in its natural light element. The forest does not have a natural green color, but as black and white, the forest provides the visual counterpoint to the film's theme - black and white is not as smooth as it looks: there are many nuances in between.