FOREST HIGH

16mm Color Film
102 min.
2026

In the northern Alps, Anne, Hélène, and Suzanne take turns tending a mountain hut. Through the seasons, hikers come and go. Stories bloom and fade, leaving each of them facing the silence.

What interests me is timelessness: how a place connects different lives, past and present. Through the daily gestures of three women—preparing the hut, welcoming hikers, waiting, facing the weather—I observe how these three lives relate to time, to others, to nature, and finally, to solitude.

I am also drawn to describing a place located in a distinct social space. Up there, each person is defined only by their presence. Visitors are free to leave—or not—a fragment of their story. They are also free to invent their own narrative.

A mountain hut is a modest space. The surrounding nature is a miracle. You approach it with quiet steps, until you feel welcomed. Thus, shot over four seasons, Forest High is inspired by my ten consecutive years as a seasonal hut keeper.
The film offers an islet, an experience of a different relationship to the world.

Cast: Salomé Richard, Aurélia Petit, Anne Coesens, Arthur Marbaix, Yoann Zimmer, Alba Rincon Coubia
Produced by The Blue Raincoat (BE) and Aurora Films (FR)
Coproduction CBA, with the support of FWB and Shelterprod
Director: Manon Coubia
Assistant Director: Esther Laurent-Baroux
Production Manager: Tom Durand-Bonnard
Cinematography: Robin Fresson
Camera Assistant: Oksana Kobelova-Luyssen
Sound: Aline Huber and Vincent Nouaille
Sound Assistant: Victor Renaudin
Script Supervisors part.1: Rita Santin part.2 Charlotte Jodogne
Additional Script Supervisor: Valérie Roth
Production Preparation: Marianne Néplaz
Editing: Théophile Gay-Mazas
Sound Editing: Aline Huber
Re-recording Mix: Samuel Mittelman

Berlinale 2026 – Official Selection, Competition Film, Perspectives Section

Sales: Rai Cinema International Distribution

Hand-drawn sketch of the alpine pasture, from my heart’s perspective