Stones are at once the most foundational and the most overlooked parts of our lifeworld. When a retired nature documentary narrator passes a kidney stone, she decides to tell one more story about this forgotten world of stone. A hypnotic essay film asking urgent ecological questions, Apple Cider Vinegar takes the viewer on a journey meeting Palestinian quarry workers, a passionate British Geologist, and people living on the lava fields of Fogo.

-- Dir. Sofie Benoot - 80min - 2024 - Belgium, Netherlands --

"a diverting reflection on humankind’s deep roots in ancient minerals" - Guardian

"offers a profound look at both everyday life and ecology, as well as a magnificent declaration of love for the planet" - Visions du Reel

"a deeper message about the interconnectedness of all things" - Documentary Magazine, IDA.

"“This is not a movie about a woman and her kidney stone after all, but about our need to tell stories to tame the chaos that surrounds us" - International Cinephile Society

"uses stones and rocks as a metaphor in which humans seek to cover up fault lines, literally and symbolically, while small groups of individuals struggle to keep human intervention in nature visible" - Modern Times Review

"both celebrates the beauty of the planet while also adding in subtle warnings about dangers to the environment. It is a unique and almost unquantifiable film, but also an engaging and intriguing one" - Business Doc Europe

"a valuable contribution to our increasing awareness that we are not separate from each other or the world" - Cineurope

"From penguins mating on a rocky shore to a town in volcanic Cape Verde to images from space to the abundance of stones in Palestine, Apple Cider Vinegar marvels at the way the natural world is inextricable from our everyday lives" - Full Frame Fest