Film Archive

Into Great Silence (Grosse Stille, Die)

Silence. Repetition. Rhythm.

Into Great Silence is a very strict, next to silent meditation on monastic life in a very pure form. No music except the chants in the monastery, no interviews, no commentaries, no extra material. Changing of time, seasons, and the ever repeated elements of the day, of the prayer. A film to become a monastery, rather than depict one. A film on awareness, absolute presence, and the life of men who devoted their lifetimes to God in the purest of form.

Contemplation. An object in time.

Philip Groening was born in Duesseldorf in 1959 and was raised in Duesseldorf and the United States. He studied Medicine and Psychology before enrolling at the Munich Academy of Television & Film (HFF/M) in 1982. Groening developed a passion for screenwriting and began to work as an actor for Peter Keglevic and Nicolas Humbert. He also worked as a sound assistant, propmaster and assistant director. His film credits include the award-winning and critically acclaimed films The Swimmer (1983), The Last Picture Taken (1983), Summer (1986, Main Prize Bergamo 1988), Stachoviak! (1988, Silver Hugo Chicago), The Terrorists! (1992, Bronze Leopard Locarno), Victims. Witnesses (1993), L'Amour, L'Argent, L'Amour (2000, Bronze Leopard Locarno, Swiss Film Award, Silver Camera Bitola), and Into Great Silence (Die Grosse Stille, 2005).
 

Genre Art, Religion
Category Documentary Cinema
Year of Production 2005
Director Philip Groening
Screenplay Philip Groening
Director of Photography Philip Groening
Editor Philip Groening
Producers Philip Groening, Michael Weber, Andres Pfaeffli, Elda Guidinetti
Production Company Philip Groening Filmproduktion/Duesseldorf, in co-production with Venturafilms/Meride, Bavaria Film/Geiselgasteig, Cine Plus Filmproduktion/Berlin, BR/Munich, ZDF/Mainz, in cooperation with ARTE/Strasbourg, TSI Televisione Svizzera/Lugano
Length 162 min, 4,510 m
Format color, HD 24P & Super 8, 1:1.85
Original Version French/Latin
Subtitled Versions English, Italian
Sound Technology Dolby SRD
Festival Screenings Venice 2005, Toronto 2005, Dok Leipzig 2005, Seville 2005, Sundance 2006 (In Competition), Goteborg 2006, Rotterdam 2006, New Directors/New Films NY 2006, Hong Kong 2006, Mexico City 2006, San Francisco 2006, It's All True Sao Paulo 2006, Paris Cinema 2006, Pescara 2006, New Zealand IFF 2006, Hamptons 2006, Palm Springs 2007, Havana 2007
Awards Bavarian Film Award 2005 (Best Documentary), German Film Critics Award 2005 (Best Documentary), Special Jury Award Sundance 2006, Grand Jury Award: Best Documentary Sao Paulo 2006, Premio Flaiano Pescaro 2006, European Film Award: Prix Arte 2006
With backing from German Federal Film Board (FFA), Filmstiftung NRW, Filmbuero NW
German Distributor X Verleih/Berlin

World Sales
Bavaria Film International / Dept. of Bavaria Media GmbH
Thorsten Ritter
Bavariafilmplatz 7
82031 Geiselgasteig/Germany
phone +49-89-64 99 26 86
fax +49-89-64 99 37 20
email: international@bavaria-film.de
http://www.bavaria-film-international.com

 
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