Making an Ancient Forest

Director: Rita Schlamberger & Michael Schlamberger
Production Country: Austria
Production Year։ 2015
Duration։ 52 minutes

Synopisi

Forests are far more complex than previously imagined – as revealed in Rita Schlamberger’s latest film, “Making an Ancient Forest “.

The documentary, filmed in 4K, travels deep into the remote forests of the Kalkalpen
National Park in Austria – the largest area of wilderness in the Alps. Abandoned and
unmanaged by man for close to a quarter of a century, the forest’s dramatic cycle of
growth and decay now rules the landscape. What appears at first to be devastation and
destruction is in fact part of the fundamental process of the forest’s regeneration and
transformation back to its natural, primeval state.

The film, three years in the making, reveals the highly complex partnerships among
plants, insects and animals, as well as the evolutionary creativity and intelligence of
trees as they communicate with one another and respond to moment‐by‐moment
stimuli. Their genius is attributed to one of the greatest collaborations in the history of
life: a partnership with fungi.

One of the most salient changes in the forest is however, the return of the lynx. After
115 years of absence, the feline’s illusive presence is a testimony to nature’s power of
revival and a reassurance that the bold conservation efforts in the National Park are
slowly, but surely, contributing to Making an Ancient Forest.