Experiencing Interruptions?

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.

  • Ana Bilic
    Director
  • Ana Bilic
    Writer
  • Danilo Wimmer
    Producer
  • Ana Bilic
    Producer
  • Danilo Wimmer
    Key Cast
    "Alex"
  • Valentina Himmelbauer
    Key Cast
    "Junge Frau"
  • Project Title (Original Language):
    Wenn die Heidelerche singt
  • Project Type:
    Feature
  • Genres:
    Arthouse, Drama, Mystery
  • Runtime:
    1 hour 57 minutes 10 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    January 1, 2022
  • Country of Origin:
    Austria
  • Country of Filming:
    Austria
  • Language:
    German
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Black & White and Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Bogocine 39 - Festival de cine de Bogotá
    Bogotá
    Colombia
    Official Selection - International Feature Film Competition
  • NewFilmmakers NY
    New York
    United States
    Semi-Finalist - Best Feature Film
  • INFLUX Film Awards
    Huntington Beach, CA
    United States
    Award Winner - Best International Film
  • The IndieFEST Film Awards
    La Jolla, CA
    United States
    Award of Merit – Film Feature; Award of Merit – Script / Writer
  • Blow-Up Arthouse Filmfest
    Chicago
    United States
    Semi-Finalist - Film Feature
  • Top Indie Film Awards
    Tokyo
    Japan
    Best Feature – Nominee, Best Original Idea – Nominee, Best Actress – Winner, No Budget Spirit – Nominee
  • Digital Griffix Film Festival
    Montreal
    Canada
    Nominee - Best First Time Director
  • Mediterranean Film Festival
    Cannes
    France
    Official Selection - Best Director
  • AltFF Alternative Film Festival
    Toronto
    Canada
    Nominee - Best Director
  • SANFICI Santander Festival Internacional de Cine Independiente
    Bucaramanga
    Colombia
    Sellecion Official - Competenica Internacional de Largometrajes
  • The Macoproject Film Festival
    New York
    United States
    Semi-Finalist - Best Feature Film
  • Vesuvius International Film Fest
    Campania
    Italy
    Award Winner - Best Feature Movie
  • Couch Film Festival
    Toronto
    Canada
    Award Winner - Best Writer, Nominee - Best Actress
  • Florence Film Awards
    Florence
    Italy
    Honorable Mention - Best Original Score; Official Selection - Best Original Screenplay
  • Milan Gold Awards
    Milan
    Italy
    Honorable Mention - Original Score
  • Rome International Film Awards
    Rome
    Italy
    Award Winner - Best First Time Director; Award Winner - Best Mystery Film
  • Hollywood Gold Awards
    Los Angeles
    United States
    Honorable Mention - Best Original Screenplay
  • Golden Bridge Istanbul Short Film Festival
    Istanbul
    Turkey
    Official Selection – Best Feature Film; Official Selection – Best Female Director
  • Top LIne Distribution Showcase
    Los Angeles
    United States
    Award Winner - Best Narrative Feature Film
  • 8 & HalFilm Awards
    Roma
    Italy
    Award Winner - Best Original Score
  • Tokyo Film Awards
    Tokyo
    Japan
    Golden Award Winner - Best 1st Time Filmmaker
  • Crown Point International Film Festival
    Chicago
    United States
    Award Winner - 1st Time Director; Award Winner - Original Score
  • Sweet Democracy Film Awards
    Cannes
    France
    Award Winner - Best Mystery Film; Official Selection - Best Screenplay
  • London Movie Awards
    London
    United Kingdom
    Silver Award Winner - Best Original Screenplay
  • International Motion Picture Awards
    Brooklin
    Canada
    Award Winner - Best Director
  • New York Neorealism Film Awards
    Rome
    Italy
    Official Selection – Best Original Score
  • Europe Film Festival
    London
    United Kingdom
    Jury Diamond Awards Winner – Feature / Best First-Time Director
  • Iconic Images Film Festival
    Vilnus
    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 Awards
    Rome
    Italy
    Award Winner - Best Original Screenplay
  • International World Film Awards
    New York
    United States
    Official Selection - Best First Time Director
  • Stanley Film Awards
    London
    United Kingdom
    Award Winner - Best Original Score; Official Selection - Best Screenplay
  • Frida Film Festival
    Tempe, Arizona
    United States
    Official Selection - Original Screenplay
  • Madrid International Movie Awards
    Madrid
    Spain
    Award Winner - Best Mystery Film; Award Winner - Best Actor
  • Sydney Australian Film Festival
    Sydney
    Australia
    Official Selection - Best Soundtrack
Director Biography - Ana Bilic

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

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

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.