WHISPERS IN THE WOODS

(Le Chant des forêts)

West Coast Premiere | France | 2025 | Documentary | 93 min | In French with English subtitles

Directed by: Vincent Munier
Written by: Vincent Munier
Produced by: Pierre-Emmanuel Fleurantin & Laurent Baujard (Paprika Films), Vincent Munier (Kobalann Productions), Bertrand Faivre (Le Bureau Films), France 3 Cinéma
Cinematography: Vincent Munier, Antoine Lavorel, Laurent Joffrion
Original Score: Warren Ellis, Dom La Nena, Rosemary Standley
Film Editing: Laurent Joffrion, Vincent Schmitt
Cast: Vincent Munier, Michel Munier, Simon Munier
International Sales: The Bureau Sales

Synopsis

Acclaimed director/cinematographer/wildlife photographer Vincent Munier takes us on a magical, very poetic journey deep into the forest, where lynxes, bears, owls and capercaillies roam freely. He ushers us into the woodlands of his youth, in the Vosges, with his beloved father and 12-year-old son in tow, to listen intently to the whispers of those woods and reveal the secret universe that resides there. Most of all, the film is a heartfelt excursion into life lessons passed on, from generation to generation, and Munier’s deep respect for the untamed beauty of the natural world. The result is nothing short of breathtaking.

Director’s bio

The son of an environmentalist who passed on the need to “tiptoe into the forest,” director/cinematographer Vincent Munier spent his childhood immersed in nature in the Vosges and went on to become an award-winning wildlife photographer. His extensive study of Japanese cranes led to the publication of his first book, Tancho (2004). His encounter with a pack of white wolves in the Canadian arctic led to the publication of Arctic (2015). His photographs of a snow leopard became the book Tibet mineral, animal (2021), cowritten with Sylvain Tesson. He and Marie Amiguet co-directed the film The Velvet Queen (2021), which won a César Award for Best Documentary. Whispers in the Woods, Munier’s second feature, was honored with two César Awards, for Best Documentary and Best Sound, and a Lumiere Award for Best Music.