Film concert: Midori Hirano x The Juniper Tree (1990) – Heroines of Sound Festival / Heroines Edition # I

The Japanese composer and pianist Midori Hirano presents a new live soundtrack for the overlooked arthouse fairy-tale film The Juniper Tree in her pre-release concert. The film also marks the first screen appearance of a young Björk. Combining electronic textures, piano compositions, and finely balanced sonic spaces, Hirano reimagines the film as a contemporary sound experience, creating a sensitive dialogue with the poetic imagery of US filmmaker Nietzchka Keene. The Juniper Tree established the breakthrough of the director, professor, and Fulbright scholar, who died prematurely. Shot in Iceland, the stark black-and-white film weaves together mythology, witchcraft, and female experience in a powerful, atmospheric reflection on misogyny and patriarchal violence.

The film concert celebrates its German premiere shortly before the soundtrack’s release on VIERNULVIER Records. The introduction will be given by Wouter Vanhaelemeesch, initiator of the Videodroom series and music programmer at Kunstencentrum VIERNULVIER in Ghent.

“The film shows many raw aspects of human nature, such as madness, silence, loss, love, seduction, friendship, deception, self-preservation and innocence, but they are all expressed in a fantastically fragile way. The exciting challenge for me is to incorporate that fragility in the music while keeping its strength”. – Midori Hirano

The Juniper Tree (1990)

79´

Language: English

Director,Writer, Producer, Editor: Nietzchka Keene

Camera: Randolph Sellars

Premiere 1991, at Sundance Film Festival

Cast

Margit......................…Björk Guðmundsdóttir

Katla...........................Bryndis Petra Bragadóttir

Johann........................Valdimar Örn Flygenring

Mother ....................…Guðrún Gísladóttir

Jonas ......................…Geirlaug Sunna Þormar

Restored version: The edition of The Juniper Tree released by Arbelos was restored from the original 35mm film elements and digitally remastered in 4K.

Heroines of Sound Festival presents the German premiere of Midori Hirano's new live score for The Juniper Tree (1990), originally commissioned for Videodroom 2025 by VIERNULVIER and the Film Fest Gent.

Wednesday, September 2

silent green Kuppelhalle

Doors: 7 pm / Start: 8 pm