Lovers of the Night
Seven Irish monks, holding on faithfully to their fragile community, confide their most tender secrets.
Germany / Ireland 2018, HD, color, 57min, documentary, Production: Áine Films & University of TV and Film Munich, Editor: Hauke von Stietencron
Synopsis
This heartwarming, invigorating debut from Anna Frances Ewert transports us to a Cistercian monastery in the Irish countryside where seven aging monks struggle to keep their devout community running. We watch as they pray, exercise, tend to cattle, tend to one another and pray again. But more than anything, we listen as these wise, humble men reflect on their lives and philosophies. Ewert’s presence in the movie – as a compassionate interlocutor and as a hyper-attuned camera operator – elevates her project to the sublime. (True/False Film Fest)
Distribution
Educational Distribution in North America with Grasshopper Film
Streaming for individual use available with projectr.tv as well as TrueStory.Film
Film Festivals
Sheffield Doc/Fest 2018
True/False Film Fest 2018
Full Frame Documentary Film Festival 2018
DOXA Documentary Film Festival Vancouver 2018
IFI DocFest Dublin 2018
Glimmerglass Film Days 2018
Finding Vince 400 Film Festival 2018
NZ Irish Fest 2018
Underwire Film Festival Lonodn 2018
Worldwide Women’s Film Festival 2019
Award
Winner Best Student Documentary Feature - Worldwide Women's Film Festival 2019
Press Reviews
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MOVE Magazine
‘With great care, humanity and attention to the unspoken, Lovers of the Night is a documentary that is both lighthearted and emotionally stimulating. Ewert shows us the connection she has to the resident monks by showing them directly. They are funny, religious, honest and emotional, and that is what makes this documentary the masterpiece that it is.’
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VOX Magazine
‘Anna Frances Ewert’s Lovers of the Night is a beautiful, generally light-hearted film that is surprisingly not centered on religion so much as the monks who practice it. They are happy — genuinely happy — and their humor and optimistic spirits make this film an absolute pleasure to watch.‘
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Bearingnews
‘Lovers of the Night is an absolutely beautiful tribute to these men through sharing their stories, and a successful attempt of impressing upon the audience to do good - or at least try.'
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Cinema Faith
‘Lovers of the Night is both supremely confident and achingly compassionate filmmaking, as Ewert deftly plays the roles of director, cinematographer, and audience herself.'
