Midori Hirano — The Juniper Tree (film concert)

"The film shows many raw aspects of human nature, such as madness, silence, loss, love, seduction, friendship, deception, self-preservation and innocence, but they are all expressed in a fantastically fragile way. The exciting challenge for me is to incorporate that fragility in the music while keeping its strength." - Midori Hirano

The Juniper Tree (1990) is a forgotten gem of European arthouse cinema and marked the breakthrough of director Nietzchka Keene, who died far too young. The film also sees Björk's acting debut and premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 1991. It is a sober and poetic film loosely based on the Brothers Grimm fairy tale of the same name. Set in medieval Iceland, the story follows Margit (an enchanting Björk) and her older sister Katla, who are on the run after their mother is burned at the stake for witchcraft. They find shelter with a widower and his troubled son, but tensions soon rise when Katla's magical powers come to light. The Juniper Tree was shot entirely on location in the rugged Icelandic landscape and in enchanting black and white. Berlin-based composer and pianist Midori Hirano composed a brand new soundtrack commissioned by VIDEODROOM 2025.

This filmconcert was commissioned for VIDEODROOM 2025, in a coproduction with VIERNULVIER and Film Festival Gent for the Videodroom series.