Nominated for Outstanding Achievement in Nonfiction Filmmaking, Outstanding Achievement in Direction, Outstanding Achievement in Production, Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography, Outstanding International Feature, and Indiepix Audience Choice Prize categories at Cinema Eye Honors 2008
"Only in complete silence, one starts to hear. Only when language resigns, one starts to see."
Full Synopsis: One of the most mesmerizing and poetic chronicles of spirituality ever created, INTO GREAT SILENCE dissolves the border between screen and audience with a total immersion into the hush of monastic life. Nestled deep in the postcard-perfect French Alps, the Grande Chartreuse is considered one of the world's most ascetic monasteries. In 1984, German filmmaker Philip Groning wrote to the Carthusian order for permission to make a documentary about them. They said they would get back to him. Sixteen years later, they were ready. Groning, sans crew or artificial lighting, lived in the monks' quarters for six months' filming their daily prayers, tasks, rituals and rare outdoor excursions. This transcendent, closely observed film seeks to embody a monastery, rather than simply depict one - it has no score, no voiceover and no archival footage. What remains is stunningly elemental: time, space and light. More meditation than documentary, it's a rare, transformative theatrical experience for all.
