Private Project

Silenced Tree

Hayati is a small-town literature teacher and a one hit wonder author who tries helplessly to hold on to his past: his shattering marriage, his sick old mother, a decaying walnut tree and the memory of his father. Instead of moving on with his life and taking control, he passively accepts its blows and is only interested in digging into the past, until his discovery forces him to confront his own weakness and answer the question: is standing idle while witnessing evil being done is just as much of a sin as doing it?

  • faysal soysal
    Director
    crossroads
  • faysal soysal
    Writer
    crossroads
  • faysal soysal
    Producer
    crossroads, missing times, building of hopes/Release from Heaven, Unbendable, color of love
  • ali Noori Oskouei
    Producer
    Release from Heaven
  • serdar orçin
    Key Cast
    "hayati"
    yazgı, barda, itirazım var
  • sezin akbaşoğulları
    Key Cast
    "Yaprak"
    fakat müzeyyen, kavşak, yabancı
  • kübra kip
    Key Cast
    "serap"
    babamın kanatları, bağlılık aslı
  • ali mert yavuzcan
    Key Cast
    "ahmet"
  • vedat özdemir
    director of Photography
    sen aydınlatırsın geceyi, itirazım var, Cingoz Recai, Rauf,
  • Mostafa Khergepoush
    editor
    turtles can fly, peach tree, leila
  • Mohsen Roshan
    sound designer
    in the name of father, peddler, red ribbon, actor
  • Payam Azadi
    music
    All the winter I haven't seen, Age of Pehlevans
  • Project Title (Original Language):
    ceviz ağacı
  • Project Type:
    Feature
  • Genres:
    Drama, Human rights, women, art, poetry, writer, social
  • Runtime:
    1 hour 57 minutes 53 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    July 23, 2020
  • Production Budget:
    800,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    Turkey
  • Country of Filming:
    Turkey
  • Language:
    Turkish
  • Shooting Format:
    digital 4K
  • Aspect Ratio:
    2.35
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • 39th International Istanbul Film Festival
    istanbul
    Turkey
    July 21, 2020
    National Premier
  • 27th International Adana Film Festival
    Adana
    Turkey
    September 14, 2020
    Best Actor, Best Composing
  • 42nd International Moscow Film Festival
    Moscow
    Russian Federation
    October 5, 2020
    International Premier
    Russian Trace Official Selection
  • 6th Bremen Film Festival
    Bremen
    Germany
    April 14, 2021
    European Premiere
    Best Literature Film award
  • 8th Torino Underground Film Festival
    Torino
    Italy
    September 5, 2021
    Italian
    Best Film, Best Editing
  • Eurosia Film Festival
    Moscow
    Russian Federation
    November 15, 2020
    Best Camera
  • 25th Turkey-Germany Nunberg Film Film Festival
    Bremen
    Germany
    July 25, 2021
  • 13th Pri-Fest Film Festival
    Pristina
    Kosovo
    August 27, 2021
  • 7th Balkan Panorama Film Festival
    Izmir
    Turkey
    October 2, 2021
    Best Film, Best Actor
  • London City Film Awards Festival
    London
    United Kingdom
    November 9, 2021
    Best Foreign Future film
  • The Artists Forum/ Festival of Moving Image
    New York
    United States
    December 3, 2021
    US Premier
    Best Narrative Feature Film, Best Actor
  • 9th Antakya Film Festival
    Antakya
    Turkey
    December 16, 2021
    Best Actor
  • 5th Nepal Film Festival
    katmandu
    Nepal
    April 1, 2022
    Asian
    Don Quixote Best feature Film Award
  • 9th Fine Arts Film Festival
    California Venice
    United States
    June 10, 2022
    Best Director, Best Film
  • 2nd Neptune Film Awards Festival
    Bologna
    Italy
    June 18, 2022
    Best Film and Best Music
  • 14.Hamilton New York Film Festival
    New York City
    United States
    July 30, 2022
    Best Feature Film
  • 8&Halfilm festival
    rome
    Italy
    August 20, 2022
    Best Human Rights Film
  • 4th Munich Film Awards
    Munich
    Germany
    August 22, 2022
    Best Feature Film
  • San Diego Movie Awards
    San Diego
    United States
    September 7, 2022
    Best Film
  • 6th Brazil Film Fesival
    Rio
    Brazil
    November 7, 2022
    Best Film
  • Spain Film Connect
    Palma De Mallorca
    Spain
    May 23, 2023
    Best International Film
  • Brittany Film Festival
    Locronan, Bretagne
    France
    July 24, 2023
    France
    Best International Script
  • Dubai International Cine Carnival
    dubai
    United Arab Emirates
    September 5, 2023
    Critics' choice award
Distribution Information
  • arthood entertainment
    Distributor
    Country: Germany
    Rights: All Rights, Internet, Video on Demand, Pay Per View, Hotel, Airline, Ship, Theatrical, Video / Disc, Free TV, Paid TV, Console / Handheld Device
  • farabi cinema foundation
    Distributor
    Country: Iran, Islamic Republic of
    Country: Iran, Islamic Republic of
    Rights: All Rights
Director Biography - faysal soysal

Faysal Soysal was born in Batman in 1979. He left medical school to focus on poetry and cinema in 2000. Between 2003 and 2007, he finished MA on “Film Directing” in Tehran Art University-Iran and at the same time “New Turkish Literature” at Van Yuzuncuyil University-Turkey. He did 4 short films in Iran, which were awarded at international film festivals. With ‘Dreams of Lost Time’(35mm), he’s become closer to find his own cinematographic language.
In 2008, with a scholarship, he attended to the New York Film Academy and directed 4 short films. He has been selected for Talent Campus of Sarajevo Film Festival at 2009. He did his first feature film ‘Crossroads’ in 2013, (Filmed in Turkey and Bosnia) and it got 13 awards from film festivals. He did documentary series for Al Jazire and TRT TV. He used to be voluntary of Doctors Worldwide and produced Africa documentaries about their aid. They have been screened on TRT Documentary Channel in the name Worldwide Stories as 11 episodes. He published books on poetry and cinema. He is the director of International Amity Short Film Festival since two years. He finished his second feature film Silenced Tree as a first co-production of Turkish-Iranian at 2020.

FILMOGRAPHY
Feature Film
Silenced Tree, 2020
Crossroads, 2013
Building of Hope, 2016 Tv-film, Generel Director

Documentary
Firstly, Songs has been Changed in Istanbul, 2014
Missing Times in Srebrenica-Prijedor, 2015
Worldwide Stories 11 episode, 2014-2015
Mother of Srebrenica 5 episode, 2015
Journey to East-Iranian Kurdish Cultural Life, 26 episode

Short Film
Forbidden Dream, 2005
Ithaki, 2005
The Day I Became My Mother, 2006
Dreams of Lost Time, 2007
Mizan-sen, 2008
What Time It Is ?, 2008

Music Video
İstanbul 2008
İthaca 2008

AWARDS

Silenced Tree (2020)

27th Adana Film Festival, Turkey (September 2020)
Best Music Award, Best Actor Award

Eurosia Film Festival, Russia (November 2020)
Best Camera Award

6th Bremen Film Festival, Germany (April 2021)
Best Literature Film Award

Torino Underground Cinefest, Italy (September 2021)
Best Film Award, Best Editing Award

7. Balkan Panorama Film Festival, Turkey (October 2021)
Best Film Award, Best Actor Award

6th London City Film Awards (12th November 2021)
Best Foreign Feature Film Award

6th The Artist Forum, The Festival Moving Images, New York (December 2021),
Best Narrative Feature Film Award, Best Actor Award

9th Antakya Film Festival, Turkey (16th December 2021)
Best Actor Award

5th International Nepal Film Festival-2022
Don Quixote Best feature Film Award

9th Fine Arts Film Festival, California-Venice-2022
Best Director
Best Narrative Film

2nd Neptune Film Awards of Bologna, (18th June-Italy, 2022)
Best Film, Best Music Score

14th Hamilton New York Film Festival (18th July-US 2022)
Best Film

8 & Halfilm Awards (20th August, Rome 2022)
Best Human Rights Film

4th Munich Film Awards (22th August, Germany 2022)
Best Film

8.San Diego Film Awards (7th September, US, 2022)
Best Film

6.Brazil International Film Festival (5th November, Brazil, 2022)
Best Film

Spain Film Connect (23th April, 2023),
Best International Film

Brittany International Film Festival (25th July, 2023),
Best International Script

Dubai International Cine Carnival (5th September, 2023),
Critics’ Choice Award

‘Crossroads’
Best Screenplay at 32.Tehran International Fajr Film Festival, 2014
Best Turkish film of 2013 by Eskader Art Critics
Best New Talented Director 25.Ankara Film Festival, 2014
Special Juri Prize, 10.Kazan International Film Festival, 2014
Best Actor, 6.Prifest Kosova International Film Festival, 2014
Best Art Directing, Best DOP, Best Actor, Best Actress, 4th Van Lake Film Festival (Turkey)
Best Film from 9th El Ojo Kojo Film Festival (Spain)
Best Script Xi An Silk Road Film Festival (China)
Best Film Overlook Film Festival (Italy)

“The Dreams of Lost Time”
Best Short Film - Boston Turkish Film Festival, 2008
Best Cinematography and Best film - Marmara University Film Festival, 2007
Honorary Award - Tehran International Short Film Festival, 2007
Best Short Film - Istanbul International Film Festival, 2007

“The Day I Became My Mother”
Special Media Prize - Baku Audio Visual Film Festival, Azerbaijan, 2006

“Forbidden Dream”
Second Short Prize - Kristal Klaket Film Festival, 2007
Best Script and Best Cinematography - Kisa Cek Short Film Festival, 2006
Best Film - Human Rights Short Film Festival in Istanbul, 2005
Best Film from Qazvin (Iran) Short Film Festival, 2005

His Books:
Düşe Yağmalanan Hayal Kuyusu, poetry, 2003
Bir Ölünün Defteri, poetry, 2011
Akdenizdeki Çöl, Sohrab Sepeheri & F.G. Lorca, translated poems, 2011
The re-found Hope, A. Tarkovsky’s Cinema, Babak Ahmadi, Translation, 2011

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

When I was on my way to find and establish the language of my cinema, being forced to watch all the injustices and murders of our century played a big role in choosing story of ‘Silenced Tree’ for my second film. Even though recently the media’s attention to the increasing number of killings of women (in 2019, 474 women were killed by violence in Turkey) intensified in recent years, I noticed that there is not a sincere and worthy study, mentioning these tragedies. The most tragic issue was the fact that this savagery was still happening in a society that emphasizes morality and justice a lot. I want to look at a woman’s murder as a side-story from a different perspective and to bring in different dimensions.

With this film, I want to find the dying down fire of our conscience by confronting us, namely humanity, with our dark and cowardly traits and blaze the fire with optimism. For this reason, I want to penetrate the cost of witnessing a murder and suicide over a minimal event within different perspective. In my story, I want to discuss in detail the obscure literary teacher Hayati’s being a specter to a murder (slaughter of a woman by his husband) outside the town and not do anything against it as a problem of the entire humanity’s consciousness issue. I designed Hayati as a writer, who tries to protect his hope in the name of artistic creation in distress and deprivation like Van Gogh, so that we can think more broadly about what a pathetic and impotent individual can do and can not do in the face of crime and murder. In this case, when a person is looking for a strong root and hope through writing and literature, despite starting to live with his father’s fate of suicide, what this person, disabled with feebleness, cynicism, and skittishness, will do when he witnesses a murder that his father witnessed. This question has always been a question I have encountered with different shades of environment that I lived in. In my film, Hayati, the most weak and helpless person among those who have power and potential, sacrifices him and undertakes the murder committed in order to clean the common conscience of mankind. Because he knows like we know that the killings of woman will not end with the capture of the killer. However, waking up the conscience of the society and pulling under great responsibility is a big step forward for the future generations not to crush the weaker ones.