Silver Haze

When 23-year-old Franky hears the words “I love you” from her boyfriend after sex, her response is merely: “Whatever, I’ll see you later.” As a child, she was seriously injured by a fire and this has left its mark on more than just her body. For 15 years, she has been trying to bring those responsible to justice. Franky is now working as a nurse in the very hospital where, back then, her life was saved. She is a welcome sight in every room and finds the right words for every patient, including the impetuous Florence. The two fall in love, and Franky runs away from her domineering family in London’s working-class Dagenham to find instead a safe haven with Florence and her patchwork family. But the past will not let her rest, and it is not long before cracks begin to appear in her relationship with Florence.
Silver Haze is the second collaboration between director Sacha Polak and non-professional actor Vicky Knight. The story is based on improvisations and recollections of true events from Vicky Knight’s life. The sensual camera captures images that are immediate and raw but also gently poetic.
by Sacha Polak
with Vicky Knight, Esmé Creed-Miles, Charlotte Knight, Archie Brigden, Angela Bruce
Netherlands / United Kingdom 2023 English 103’ Colour World premiere

With

  • Vicky Knight (Franky)
  • Esmé Creed-Miles (Florence)
  • Charlotte Knight (Leah)
  • Archie Brigden (Jack)
  • Angela Bruce (Alice)

Crew

Director Sacha Polak
Screenplay Sacha Polak
Cinematography Tibor Dingelstad
Editing Lot Rossmark
Music Ella van der Woude, Joris Oonk
Sound Design Jan Schermer
Sound Job Michel
Production Design Elena Isolini
Casting Lucy Pardee
Producers Marleen Slot, Michael Elliott
Executive Producers Eva Yates, Frank Klein, Clea de Koning, Sacha Polak, Vicky Knight, Jim Mooney, Walli Ullah

Sacha Polak

Born in Amsterdam, the Netherlands in 1982, she studied at the Netherlands Film Academy and trained as a director at the Binger Filmlab in Amsterdam. Her debut film Hemel was selected for the 2012 Berlinale Forum and won the FIPRESCI Prize. In the same year, her short film Broer screened in Generation. Her second feature-length fiction film Zurich was also selected for the Forum and won the Arthouse Cinema Award while Dirty God premiered at Sundance in 2019. She most recently directed two episodes of the series Hanna.

Filmography

2006 Teer (Tar); short film 2007 El Mourabbi; short film 2008 Drang (Craving); short film · Onder de tafel (Under the Table); short film 2012 Broer (Brother); short film · Hemel 2013 Nieuwe Tieten (New Boobs); documentary 2015 Zurich 2019 Dirty God 2021 Hanna; series, 2 episodes 2023 Silver Haze

Bio- & filmography as of Berlinale 2023