Discoveries from Belgium World Cinema

Scientist André Ségonne hits the headlines with his discovery of anti-matter. On his way to a few days' vacation, he is involved in a motorcycle accident. Rescued by Piort and Florence, a strange couple, André is taken to their equally peculiar house: an inexplicable power seems to emanate from it.

Aaron "Amadeus" Overlake is a visionary filmmaker revered for his genius but plagued by his own demons—a volatile alcoholic whose life is consumed by anger, controversy, and from a bitter heartbreak. As tabloids revel in his self-destruction, Aaron’s only anchor is his best friend, Santiago "Baron" Gonzalez, a charismatic actor fresh out of rehab, fighting to rebuild his career. Bound by shared struggles and a tangled history, Aaron and Santiago navigate the toxic undercurrents of fame and friendship. As Aaron embarks on his next masterpiece, his chaotic life threatens to destroy everything he holds dear.

A satirical look at Lisbon’s housing crisis, now the third most expensive city worldwide. Mass tourism and a lack of infrastructures are transforming the city into a large construction site and a perfect spot for real estate speculation.

Charles Dekeukeleire, then a questioning Catholic, was spurred into making this documentary on a pilgrimage with the Catholic Young Workers’ Movement. The director’s approach is one of critical reflection; A film emotional and fervent, even acerbic.

A Kafkaesque courtroom drama set in 19th-century Liverpool, recounting the trial of a corpse with neither name nor past. Dozens have gathered for the absurd ceremony — and perhaps to deliver justice.

They did not know that being born as Tutsi was a crime in Rwanda. The lives of Fiacre, Fidéline and Olivier ended in 1994, and the last days of these children are linked to three events: the memory of the genocide, the Gacaca trials of 2005 and the resilience of the village where those who were devastated and those who loved them live a life together again. The film tries to approach the truth, to restore its existence and to preserve the history of a hill for all hills.

Rooted in current news this investigation traces back Russia's intervention in Syria and sheds light on the war in Ukraine in a different way. Since 2015 in Syria, Vladimir Putin has benefited from the inaction of the United States and its European allies. It is also in Syria that Russia has experimented with its weapons and war diplomacy. This documentary recounts the broad outlines of Russian intervention in the Syrian conflict to understand how it has shaped the Kremlin's foreign policy over the last decade and how it made Vladimir Putin believe that he could easily defeat the Ukrainians. Filmed in Russia, Syria, Europe and the United States, this programmed is full of expert testimonies and archives.

Mweze Ngangura takes us to his native region, Ngweshe, one of he six Bushi kingdoms in the province of Kivu, in Eastern Zaïre. In this region of the Great Lakes, wealth is mesured in heads of cows and in length and breadth of banana plantations. Intermixed with commentaries of the director, are those of the King, Mwami Pierre Ndatabaye Weza III, divulging the daily realities of this traditional African kingdom as it confronts the modern world. The third narrator, Makura, is a storyteller. This guardian of traditional knowledge and collective memory teaches the children the proverbs, customs and mythologies of the region. « The King, the Cow and the Banana Tree » sheds light on the dramatic events unfolding in neighbouring Rwanda, particularly in a prophetic sequence where a seer predicts calamities that will take place in the countries surrounding Ngweshe.

The Flemish singer Joe Haris has a gig in Cannes during the film festival at which he meets the lovely Diana who aspires to become an actress.

In 2001 the Dutch TV station VPRO sent a crew to Detroit to document the goings-on, with a focus on (of course) the White Stripes. The program was directed by René Hazekamp and the interviews were conducted by Helmut Boeijen. The Dirtbombs’ Mick Collins is the closest thing the show has to an MC, we follow him around on Detroit’s People Mover as he explains the nuances of the Detroit scene.

A silent film that traces the journey of a Belgian potato towards its destiny as a fry... in the Brussels Frietmuseum.

The result of a workshop for which Franciska Lambrechts supplied a varied company of individuals and some basic equipment: a super-8 camera with 3 B/W films. What we see is a creative montage wherein the workshop and the discussed topics itself are at the core.

Ayman, a teenager of Moroccan descent, is invited by Sara to a party at the same house where his mother works as a domestic worker. Along with Eric and Robert, his lifelong friends, they set off on a journey filled with confrontations and disappointments -with society and with themselves- putting their gang's friendship to the test. Once at the party, they discover that life isn't what they thought, and that wanting something doesn't always make it possible.

Karen, Kristel, and Kathleen are going on vacation in the Ardennes and staying at Aunt Mie's chalet. They have high expectations, but the cottage is a huge disappointment: it is dirty and poorly maintained. Will it still be a fun vacation?

Discover this mysterious battle, which has been waged since the Middle Ages. Delve into the heart of Mons, a town in the Kingdom of Belgium, where each year the locals are transformed into a wild and rowdy mob. Once the fighters step foot onto the battlefield, they will go to great lengths to snatch a few hairs from the tail of a dragon, which, according to legend, will bring them good luck.

Marcels life is very consistent. Every day very much looks the same. There are two things in life that are very important to him: serving a cup of coffee to the local garbage man and taking care of his plant. He lives a peaceful life until week 97 has arrived and suddenly his life takes another turn...

The Samson and Gert Christmas Show was the theater show that the Flemish television duo Samson and Gert performed annually from 1991 to 2019. This show was performed from December 19, 2009, to December 30, 2009, at the Queen Elisabeth Hall in Antwerp.

Eddy Wally was a folk hero, showman, and cult figure. But who was the man behind the legend? Chérie follows his daughter Marina Wally in Ertvelde and Zelzate, explores the rich VRT archives, and reveals unique, never-before-seen private footage of his life at home, in Miami, and in Egypt.

After the death of her mother (whom she hardly knew), Viviane gets visits from her ghost. Never too late to catch up.

A short film in which a man needs to sort peas on a factory line.

Gigi, his girlfriend Monica and some friends are living near the train station Bucharest-North. When 15-year-old Monica gets pregnant, Gigi is forced to find a solution.

Forced to return to his naturist roots, Willy bungles his way into noble savagery.

The film explores the lives of Alessandro, his friend Cléry and his grandmother, who all struggle with the passage of time and the choices they make. As Alessandro repeatedly undoes his successes and loses in the metaphorical game of life, the story highlights the consequences of wasted time and the ongoing struggle against personal failure.

A beautiful, mysterious femme fatale arrives out of the blue in a small village spreading conflict and discontent throughout the community.

Crippled as a young girl, Sabine vows to become a nun if cured. But when it turns out the original diagnosis was faulty and she regains the use of her legs, she decides to marry instead. Wreaked with guild when her first child is stillborn, Sabine enters a monastery where her sister Gertrude also resides. But after her sister dies of an illness, Sabine leaves the nuns behind and travels to India seeking peace.

An army pilot is visiting the home of another army pilot in a neighboring country, and falling in love with his sister, when war breaks out.

Lipstick, which has been around since the beginning of time and over the centuries has been considered both a symbol of power and an instrument of submission, is used by all kinds of women: queens and politicians, actresses and singers, workers and makeup lovers.

When we think of “prisoners,” all kinds of images come to mind, but rarely that of people over 70. And yet there are many elderly people in detention who struggle with physical and mental health problems. A unique insight into the challenges faced by both prisoners and prison staff in providing adequate care and support to this forgotten group.

The most spectacular Mega Mindy show ever! This time, your superheroine shines alongside Grandpa and Grandma Fonkel, Commissioner Migrain, and of course her great love Toby in their first mega-sized live show!

When the running team of Viva Salud, a Belgian NGO fighting for the right to health, went to Bethlehem to participate in the Palestine Marathon, they didn’t yet know that they would do much more than just running. From Ramallah to Hebron, from Nablus to Bethlehem, their encounters with Viva Salud’s local partners helped them gain a better understanding of the situation in the region and discover the daily reality of the Israeli occupation. While getting to know resistance in all its forms, along with the beauty of Palestine, they tried to capture this in a documentary vlog of their journey—a cocktail of rebellion, solidarity, and collective resistance.

50 years after the realization of their utopias, three old architects take the director on a journey to discover extraordinary housing. A joyful journey through time, from which emerges a crucial question: how will we live tomorrow?

The story is about a boy who is bouncing back and forth between different stages of life, but it is also a story between man and child.

SYWVH?! is an educative Ballroom documentary. An antidote to the misinformation that comes with the re-explosion of ballroom into the public consciousness. A venom against the appropriation of the culture. Outspokenly black and femme, SYWVH centers the creators of the scene, namely the black trans femmes.

Jaime is the portrait of a young man affected by a mental disorder in which his mind perceives reality in a distorted way. In this fascinating and provoking medium length film, director Francisco Javier Rodriguez questions our idea of reality, creating a subtle game in which fact and fiction merge. Touching yet unsettling, this film interrogates what we consider to be “the norm”.

In the course of four seasons we follow the process as Maurits mourns the death of his mother. His intensely sad father, a restorer of paintings, is not able to offer him any solace. Maurits denies his mother's death and withdraws to the flood plains of the river. There he meets Moniek. During their journey of discovery through the plains, their tender friendship turns into love. But Maurits anger and sorrow sometimes turn to extreme emotions and that frightens Moniek. A dead dog takes them over the top and Moniek never wants to see him again.

Life is what happens when you stop living for others and start living for yourself. This poignant tragicomic journey of courage follows Mona from early childhood, when she is inculcated to be a quiet, obedient presence in the world. She blossoms into a talented young artist, but years of repressing her feelings have impaired her emotionally, binding her to unhealthy relationships at work and at home. Still, there is a fierce, independent spirit that lies inside her, waiting to be liberated. Assured direction coaxes flawless, seamlessly connected performances from actresses Tanya Zabarylo and Olivia Landuyt in the title role as a young woman and young girl respectively.

In the middle of a boreal forest, a solitary feline meets a small bird. These two beings opposed by nature are surprised and attracted to each other. A friendly relationship tinged with suspicion arises between them.

Rebecca, a young woman of 22, is disowned by her father, an esteemed rabbi in the Orthodox Jewish community of Borough Park. She's about to discover a new world in Manhattan, far from the one she's known all her life.

Paul Kalkbrenner @ Tomorrowland 2023 - WEEKEND 1 - The Library Stage - Saturday 22.07.2023

A man lives in a labyrinthine city, populated with people with the exact same face as his own. Until one day he meets someone with a completely different face.

Tomasz , a young Polish refugee wanders through Antwerp, looking for the woman who helped him to get his mother through the Iron Curtain. During his search he meets alcoholics, vagrants and other outcasts of the society.

It has been 20 years since The Island was unleashed on Flanders. After all these years, fans of the series are rewarded with an exclusive reunion special, in which thirteen original cast members and the creators reunite for a unique look back.

Damien takes in a young Sudanese exile, Abdo. From the beginning of their stay, they suspect that they are homosexual and homophobic respectively.

In Kinshasa, despite preparations for the construction of Africa's largest power station, the population often finds itself without electricity. The city's inhabitants, struggling for reliable power access, ingeniously utilize makeshift lights as essential means to survive their daily lives and maintain their ability to celebrate.

After graduating from high school where she was a boarder, Reine Ducasse decides to settle down with her rich father Louis in his luxurious apartment. She has just begun her studies in history and has a good friend, Frédéric, a medical student who wouldn't mind being more than just that. Around her, strange fellows attract her attention. Who is Philippe, allegedly Louis's stockbroker? And what about Marguerite who presents herself as her father's former secretary? Even more puzzling is the video cassette she finds in her father's place, showing young motorbikers distributing bundles of banknotes. Some time later, Charles, one of the bikers appearing on the video, rings the doorbell: he is wounded.

29-year-old Ilona and her boyfriend have just moved into a new apartment in a block of flats. When the building’s renovation begins soon afterwards and she befriends Oleg, one of the Ukrainian construction workers, her idyllic notions of a fulfilling life as she approaches thirty start to crumble, like the old plaster on the walls.

Mauro, a truck driver, meets a strange group of young people at a roadside rest stop who lead him into the woods for a journey bordering life and death.

Little Loes has to go to bed on time every night, together with her favorite cuddly toy Bumba! But suddenly her cuddly toy comes to life and takes her to a world where anything is possible. She ends up in the Bumbcircus! Together with the circus director, Bumba, and his friends, she experiences the funniest adventures! Would you like to join Little Loes in dreaming along with the jokes and antics of Bumba and Bumbalu? Then put on your favorite clown nose and let yourself be heard! Bumbalu!!!!

Documentary on the work of French caricaturist Jean Ignace Isidore Gérard, better known by his pseudonym Grandville (1803-1847). Based on a text by Dotremont, the film takes us on an imaginary journey to the planet of the "Real People", whose habits and customs we learn about. A satire on the arts and society.

Mara returns to the isolated house of her brother Sam, who died a year earlier in an arson attack along with his daughter. Driven by an impossible grief, Mara has devised a crazy plan for revenge: to kill the culprit herself on this sinister anniversary, a former associate of Sam's who escaped justice. But during the night, a series of mysterious and frightening phenomena turn her plans upside down...