Interbeing

directed by:

Nicoleta Carpineanu

In a clearing in the woods in Transylvania’s mountains, 80-year-old Silvia Dan sings a traditional song (doina) inherited from her grandmother. Her voice captures the beauty and magic of the forest – and she goes on to talk of her love of the land and her sadness at seeing the deforestation that has impacted the last great forest of Europe. Silvia is one of the stars of Interbeing, a multi-media project by Forests Without Frontiers founder, Nico de Transilvania (Nicoleta Carpineanu). This film charts the making of this concept album which weaves together recordings of elders and folkloric musicians in Romania with nature soundscapes and electronica. A range of musicians are featured alongside Silvia's beautiful voice, including local flute players and jazz musicians.

The film follows the development of this multimedia project, whilst telling the stories of the people and the landscape of the the Romanian Carpathians, where the songs and music were recorded. As well as the regional nature and wildlife, the film also celebrates local culture, with traditional constumes and textiles created by a seamstress working in the village where Silvia lives, and images of traditional village life. Synthesising ancient and modern, human creativity and nature, the film showcases how ecological and cultural ecosystems interconnect and how both must be preserved and protected together.