In nature everything is in balance. In the circle of life, which never ends, everyone has their task – plants and mushrooms, insects and animals. This diverse orchestra always finds its rhythm and tone. Recognizing the distinctiveness of being human, this film looks at what are our possibilities to peacefully co-exist within that co-creation of nature. For nearly seven years of exploring the periphery countryside of Estonia, this oneiric journey filmed on 16mm brings to the foreground the daily rhythms of ordinary people and animals in different ages and phases of their lives. It composes an analogue gospel of a microcosm, which has consciously or unconsciously rejected the central, arrogant doctrine of human exceptionality. Sundial premiered in competition at Visions du Réel 2023.
“I dedicate this film to Silvia, my daughter, in hope that she will one day have the possibility to know what does it mean to live within nature as it is. In a hope, we as humanity manage to do something before the balance collapses.” (L. Nimik)
Sceneggiatura / Screenplay: Liis Nimik, Anti Naulainen
Fotografia / Photography: Erik Põllumaa
Montaggio / Editing: Liis Nimik
Suono / Sound: Israel Bañuelos, Mart Kessel-Otsa, Ann Reimann, Nikita Shiskov
Produzione / Produced by: Klara Films
Liis Nimik
Liis Nimik was born in Estonia in 1979. She is a documentary filmmaker, fiction editor, lecturer and producer. She graduated from Baltic Film and Media School in 2012 as an editor and in 2015 as a documentary filmmaker. As an editor she has been an active member of the filmmaking community in Estonia and abroad since 2010. Sundial is her debut feature documentary.
