Discoveries from Belgium World Cinema

Documentary that tells the story of three young rappers who have become the target of the Spanish State’s persecution of freedom of expression in music.

Little Elika explains that people in Iran like five things above all: rice, the sun, ice cream, fish and tulips. She gives a presentation about her home country in a Belgian school, which includes a Persian poem she translates directly into French. Her audience is amazed: Elika talks differently all of a sudden. And so something which was strange playfully becomes familiar.

The well-ordered world of 50-something lawyer Irène bursts like a soap bubble: her husband leaves her for another woman and she learns that the man she thought was her father is not her real father. As a means of escape, she sets off in search of her biological father.

High up in the north, in a cute little village deep in the woods, lives the coolest Viking boy in the world: Wickie. Together with his dad Halvar and his Viking friends, he goes on the most exciting adventures on land and at sea. He embarks on dangerous journeys, braves rough seas, and defeats the evil Viking Sven. And even though Wickie is small and perhaps not so strong... He is very clever. When his friends are in deep trouble, the little boy rubs his nose and... presto! An idea! Stories: The Great Berry Race The Dancing Bear Who is the Thief? Save Ulme King Snorre Bubble Land.

The winter of 1960-1961 witnessed the longest general strike Belgium had seen since the Second World War: up to two months of total paralysis of the country in protest against an austerity law. Across countless archives, a multitude of individuals from all walks of life recount the initiatives they led at the time. But, surprisingly, instead of gray-haired veteran strikers, it is young people who tell us about these bursts of struggle, as if they were there, as if they had been.

This documentary follows the life of a one-of-a-kind man, and his one-of-a-kind library. Luis Soriano is a Colombian schoolteacher who spends weekends taking his donkey, and book collection, to the poverty-ridden towns of Magdalena Province. Facing down drug dealers, dangerous creatures, and overbearing heat, Soriano bravely faces down fear to promote education and literature.

Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne profile a former electrical worker and his involvement in the production and distribution of an underground workers’ rights newspaper within his factory that led to his termination in the brothers’ early experimental TV documentary.

A young woman tries to ease herself out of the closet without terrifying her parents in the process in this comedy-drama. The year is 1969, and Sacha (Marie Bunel) is a young Belgian woman living in Canada. Sacha's family sent her to Canada to attend medical school, but she hasn't had the heart to tell them that she's dropped out of college to devote herself to her new interest in photography. Sacha also hasn't told her parents that she's a lesbian -- and that she has a new girlfriend, Odile (Macha Grenon). Odile is tired of being kept a secret, and insists that Sacha tell her parents the truth before American astronauts land on the moon in a few months -- or else. Sacha flies home to Belgium for a visit, planning to come clean to her folks, but she discovers they've arranged a huge welcome home party for the entire neighborhood. With everyone so excited that the soon-to-be-doctor is paying them a visit, Sacha wonders when the time will be right to give her family the news.

Cinderella, once happy in a cozy home, is now a maid to her wicked stepmother and stepsisters. Her only hope is a charming prince...

Electro mastermind Moby celebrates the 25th anniversary of his cult album Play with a European tour. Here he performs at the Antwerp Sportpaleis arena.

To avoid facing her heavy past, a young woman with a borderline personality tries to seduce her strange neighbor. A singular love story between these two lonely and wounded souls is born, but will it be enough to save them from themselves?

K3 has been around for 20 years, and that calls for a celebration. Sing along to medleys, old songs, new songs, and of course, lots of dancing. You won't want to miss this special party. And you're invited too! In 2019, it will be 20 years since Karen, Kristel, and Kathleen released their hit song Heyah Mama. Since then, the popular girl group has made quite an impact in the Netherlands: not only have they changed their lineup twice, but the group has also melted the hearts of thousands of children with their songs. The fact that K3 has been around for 20 years and has been making music all these years must of course be celebrated! This anniversary show is the absolute highlight of 20 years of K3 and will be a huge party! There will be numerous medleys sung with both old and new songs, lots of dancing, and the girls of K3 will be seen in new outfits for the first time.

You’re in the middle of Death Valley. It’s 120°F (48°C), the sun is blazing hot and there’s not a single tree to hide under. You are covered from head to toe in white apparel in an attempt to conceal yourself from the scorching sun. The only sounds you can hear are those of your own footsteps along the burning asphalt. When the wind picks up, sand whips any exposed part of your body like needles. Welcome to the Badwater 135. A grueling 135 mile race that starts at Badwater Basin - the lowest point in the U.S (-282 feet below sea level) and ends at the highest point in the contiguous United States, Mount Whitney. That’s three mountain ranges the runners have to cross before reaching the finish line. All under 48 hours.

A creature is born from the cosmos. In his journey through the void he searches for what it means to be human. Marching he soon finds himself chased by the chaos that comes along with finding a safe home-ground.

Natacha is working at a gas station in the countryside. One day a man and a little girl enter her shop. They've hit a deer with their car. The little girl is upset because of the accident but it seems that it is not the only thing that bothers her.

Film offers an insight into the world of three taxidermists and their working methods. It is not about collecting and displaying the most exotic exhibits possible, but rather about documenting endangered animal species as realistically as possible. Maurizio, Robert and Christophe work in this field and all three are currently preparing to take part in the European Taxidermy Championship.

Twelve world leaders assemble in a war room to play a power game in which they have to dance tango and have to eliminate each other. Last man standing.

After the success of Rigoletto, Verdi called on librettist Salvadore Cammarano in 1851 for his new opera Il Trovatore, based on the eponymous play by Spanish playwright Antonio García Gutiérrez. Verdi takes us to 15th century northern Spain to witness the tragic destiny of those under the control of the gypsy Azucena, who seeks to avenge the death of his mother. The first percussion notes are solemn, setting the tone for Verdi’s masterpiece, whose main themes include abandonment, passion, power, love for one’s parents and vengeance. The music is sometimes tender and sensuous, with exceptional energy and force, revealing daring and mastery in its musical and vocal language. This production marked the debut of Russian stage director Dmitri Tcherniakov at La Monnaie and the first Verdi interpretation by Marc Minkowski.

Father and mother form a happy little family with their children, until one day their children decide to split up. The house is cut into two equal halves. One half for brother and one half for sister. The parents are involuntarily torn apart by the divorce and are forced to swap children and homes week by week.

Karen, Kristel and Kathleen start working on their dream house. What they don't know is that a valuable locket is hidden somewhere in the house. Only Gazpacho, a tough guy of international caliber, knows about the existence of the medallion. He will not rest until it's in his possession. But Karen, Kristel and Kathleen will never let that happen, no matter how hard they have to fight...

Twelve-year-old Eya has to face the sudden death of her beloved older brother Younès. In an intense grieving process, she draws on her creativity, resilience and the support of Younès’ friends to come to terms with her loss.

When Arthur accidentally witnesses both an argument between Finn and his strict father and an accidental fall in which Finn sprains his ankle, he offers to help.

For Prism, Belgian filmmaker An van. Dienderen invited Brussels-based Rosine Mbakam from Cameroon and Paris-based Eléonore Yameogo from Burkina Faso to work together on a film in which the differences in their skin color serves as a departure to explore their experiences with the biased limitations of the medium. Photographic media are technologically and ideologically biased, favoring Caucasian skin. Such white-centricity means that the photographic media assume, privilege and construct whiteness.

What if becoming doesn’t lead to an end, but instead is a process of being?

Yin and Lee are making dumplings in the kitchen of their restaurant. Yin is kneading dough; Lee is cutting meat and vegetables to make the filling. They are preparing the favourite food of their daughter Tim Tim, who passed away three years before. While they are cautiously folding the dumplings, they are thinking of the beautiful and painful moments. In silence... each with their own memories.

Knokke, Belgium. A small mundane coastal town, home to the beau-monde. To compete with Venice and Cannes, the posh casino hosts the second ‘World Festival of Film and the Arts’ in 1949, organised in part by the Royal Cinematheque of Belgium. To celebrate cinema’s 50 year existence, they put together a side program showcasing the medium in all its shapes and forms: surrealist film, absolute film, dadaist films, abstract film,… The side program would soon become a festival in its own right: ‘EXPRMNTL’, dedicated to experimental cinema, and would become a mythical gathering of the avant-garde…

Every day, Felix dresses up as a knight to walk through the streets of Brussels. Slowly, he becomes a social icon, both in public and online, where he livestreams himself. Lucy, his neighbour, sees more than a man in armour. Unaware that she is the final step in his ritual, she follows him home, as thousands watch.

Amany Al-Ali stands out as one of Syria's few female cartoonists, residing in her father's home in Idlib, the last city unconquered by Assad's forces. Like her remaining neighbours she's submitted to relentless Russian airstrikes and caught between advancing troops and extremist groups. Despite acclaim for her art, she faces threats, condemnation, and degradation, causing her to contemplate leaving. Ironically, her artwork has graced galleries in France and Italy but never received exposure within Syria's borders. The film captures her endeavor to organize her inaugural exhibition in Idlib. This experience compels her to confront the harsh realities of a city defined by bombings and male interference. While organizing drawing lessons for women and girls, comforting her young niece, and sharing her story with the documentary crew, Amany's outlook on the future gradually erodes.

Jump on board of this breathtaking roller coaster adventure! This exciting travel will take you in the canyons and caves of the American South West. Ready?

The neighborhood police are investigating an ATM explosion. The investigation leads them to a circus that has just set up its tents. But what is the link between the circus and the ATM explosion? And why have so many strange things been happening since the circus arrived? Will Floor be rescued after she is kidnapped during an undercover operation? The officers are doing everything they can to solve the mystery.

This animated documentary takes us on a bittersweet journey into the lives of immigrants in the municipality of Odemira, Portugal. They share the experience of struggles, frustrations, and hopes as they try to find their place. Who is a local and who is an outsider in a world where borders are increasingly questioned?

'Canned Talk' tells the story of 2 sisters, Cléo and Esmee, who when their home situation is uncertain, are able to bridge the distance between their 2. It is a film about family and about sisters, who when comfort is far to seek, eventually find it with each other.

On the set of a film in the making, four actresses take turns guiding us. They unknowingly drag us into their damnation.

A girl wants to befriend an unhappy man.

A young man who survived a 15-meter fall revisits the site, accompanied by individuals who share a similar past.

Martha is a single mother raising her son, Thomas, on her own. She has a few questions about what happened to her. She is pregnant but doesn't understand how this happened.

On a bridge, one night, a stabbing. There is Pouga. And there is Julien. The film shows the parallel destiny of these two young men who look alike without knowing each other.

A team of scientists search for the lost island of Testerep in front of the Belgian coast, venturing into artificial landscapes and virtual realities.

Pouske runs the "Le Bienvenu" café with his wife Antoinette and daughter Jeanne. On the market square, the fairgrounds are setting up their rides and the neighborhood is getting ready to party. But Jeanne is about to fall in love with a sweetheart who has come from who knows where to cause trouble.

Wild episodes of Hallo K3: About the cat and the fish Josje loves looking after Soezie, Marcel's cat. But the little animal escapes, and Josje doesn't know how she can ever tell Marcel... The video clip When Marcel finds out that Bas gets to play Tarzan in K3's new video clip, he wants to prove that he can do it much better. Meanwhile, Wipstaartje, Josje's new constrictor snake, causes a big panic when the girls discover that he has escaped... Crazy animal columns with Kristel from The world of K3: Giraffe. Koala. Lion. Bonobo. Llama.

The long wait of two people never crossing paths

A road trip of sorts between the Amazon forest in Brazil and the controlled nature of Belgium.

Al Moon lives a solitary life on the territory of the Yurok nation in California. Surrounded by violence and ecological threats affecting his people, buried anxieties from his time in Vietnam now begin to resurface. Driven by an urge to confront his past, Al Moon embarks on a cross-country journey, moving closer to uncovering a truth that has haunted him for decades.

Tristan has entered the Vloglab band in a singing competition. To pay for a tour bus and the entry fee, the group organizes a 'dive-in'. When they arrive at the competition, they bump into some familiar faces, including Jennifer, Anneleen's rival. The competition consists of several rounds, with bands being eliminated after each round. The Vloglab band has to fight its way through sabotage to advance to the next round. Will they make it to the finals and become Metejoor's opening act?

When Anna, a twenty-eight-year-old photographer, is put in charge of a report on the restoration works at The Ostend Museum of Modern Art, she discovers by chance five paintings signed Constant Permeke, whose power and mystery move and fascinate her.She decides to embark on a quest to find out about who Permeke actually was, the places where he lived, how he worked, what experiences he went through.

At a local fair in Beernem (Belgium), Hector De Zutter, a young farmer, disappears during the night of Nov. 7th, 1926. Many rumours in the village insinuate that manslaughter is implied. The accused, members of the well-to-do middle-class, are protected by the mayor of the village whose son-in-law is judge at the Bruges office of public prosecutors! Clearly, this is a very good reason for the inhabitants of Beernem to keep quiet when Hector's dead body is found. Julienne De Zutter, sister of the victim, starts her own investigation and search for possible witnesses. She gets the support of Victor De Lille, editor of the newspaper "'t Getrouwe Maldeghem" (The Maldegem Faithful, a local newspaper from Maldegem, Belgium). He publishes week after week articles covering the murder and starts a relief fund for mother De Zutter. Eventually, three defendants are arrested...

Cheers & Cheerio is a documentary about five old local pubs in the Belgian region of Flanders Fields. These local pubs once attracted whole communities. But Time consumed their clientele one by one, and is about to do the same with their owners: Gisele, Alice, Julien and Lies. The youngest is 75, the eldest 89. Each morning, day after day, they wait, impatiently, for their first customer. All except Lucienne. Her heart faltered, so the pub closed down. Time and the devastating way is eating at the hearts and minds of these protagonists, this is the main theme of the film. Friendship and humour. Loneliness. Perseverance. Clinging to what they once had whilst losing every second of it. Those are the stories. These five local bars and their generation of people will disappear without any doubt. Cheers & Cheerio freezes time, holds it a bit longer and serves it, warm-heartedly.

This French-Belgian drama, based on a novel by Odon von Horvath, is set in 1938 in a German city along the banks of the Rhine and Ruhr rivers. It attempts to provide insight as to why certain German youths were so easily lead into becoming Nazis by using two narrators, one a teacher who challenged the movement and another by a student who embraced it. Pabst teaches a group of teenage boys, all of whom seem to be young Nazis. The trouble begins when Pabst and a WW I vet are assigned to take the class to a military camp and a nature outing for urban kids. While there a boy is brutally murdered and they blame one local girl. During her trial, Pabst speaks out against Hitler and becomes pariah. Still he continues investigating the death, at great personal expense until at last he brings the real killer to justice.

Two friends go out together and commit an act, the consequences of which will haunt them for a long time.

A sailor's life is thrown off course when his only son is chosen to be the immediate donor to save 5 lives.

As the school prepares its production of Hamlet, a young guitarist sees his dreams destroyed when Bulldog breaks his fingers. Drawn into a real-life tale of betrayal and revenge, he teams up with an unexpected ally to script his own justice.