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
Sales: Rai Cinema International Distribution
AWARDS & DISTINCTIONS
Special Mention at the 2026 Berlinale
SELECTIVE REVIEWS
Variety,
Guy Lodge / February 22nd, 2026
« Forest High’ Review: Three Women Escape the Noise in a Beguiling Mountain Retreat of a Movie »
Screendaily,
« Forest high Review: Quietly assured Belgian debut follows three women working at a remote Alpine refuge »
Wendy Ide / February 16th, 2026
Micropsiacine, LatAm
Diego Lerer / February 21st, 2026
« Forest High’ Berlinale Review: Solitude at the edge of the World »
Otrocines, LatAm
Violeta Kovacsics / February 18th, 2026
« Festival de Berlín 2026: crítica de “Forêt Ivre” (“Forest High”), película de Manon Coubia (competencia Perspectives) »
“Forêt ivre se abraza así en un momento a la posibilidad de lo fantástico y los ruidos se tornan fantasmagóricos. Es la última sugerencia de una película que parece un susurro.”
Cahiers du Cinéma,
Mathilde Grasset / February 17th, 2026
« Berlinale 2026 (5): Trois récits de femmes »
Mundiario, Spain
Lufrainis Parra Freites / February 18th, 2026
« Bosque ebrio: la resistencia femenina conquista la Berlinale »
SELECTIVE INTERVIEWS
Vakuum Magazine,
« Berlinale 2026: Manon Coubia on Forest High and the ritual of filming »
Hans Krestel / February 17th, 2026
Variety,
« Forest High’ Charms Berlinale Audience as Director Manon Coubia Talks Small Budgets, Timeless Landscapes »
Kevin Giraud / February 18th, 2026
Hand-drawn sketch of the alpine pasture, from my heart’s perspective
Winter 2024 filming of Forest High @Charlotte_Jodogne