Discoveries from Belgium World Cinema

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.

Long ago, in a land far far away, lived a king and queen. They were very much in love with each other and had a beautiful daughter. The little princess was given the wonderful name Snow White. But the queen became very ill and the unthinkable happened... she died. The king was inconsolable, but still decided to marry again. Disaster struck again and the king also died. Snow White was left all alone with her stepmother, an angry and evil woman! From that day on, the evil stepmother, together with her helper and butler Aimé, held sway in the cold and nasty castle. And every day her mysterious mirror told her that she, and no one else, was the fairest in the land..

The curators invited a group of artists to be inspired by the work of the well-known, Belgian filmmaker Chantal Akerman. They specifically presented them News from Home, the 1976 feature film with two equal main characters: the island of Manhattan, New York where the director resides and her mother in Brussels who, through a stream of letters, demands increasingly urgent news.

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.

In this atmospheric psychological drama by Jef van der Heyden, concert pianist Kasper Bertheim lives under psychiatric care in Geel, haunted by the memory of a woman he believes has vanished into the underworld. After witnessing a funeral, he leaves his foster home and wanders through a surreal cityscape that seems suspended between life and death. Along the way, he encounters workers, drifters, priests and other outsiders who guide him deeper into his obsessive search. Adapted from a novel by Hubert Lampo, the film blends psychological drama with magical realism, creating an ambiguous world where madness, grief and imagination merge, and where it remains uncertain whether Kasper’s visions are delusions or glimpses of another reality.

On the trail of a serial killer, a police investigator with formidable instincts is close to the goal when state security interferes in his case.

Will Tura invites more than twenty top artists, who will all perform a song from his extensive repertoire in his presence. With video footage from Will's rich past, this unique concert will be a journey through the rich work and life of the Emperor of Flemish song. Will Tura will be honored by more than 20 top Flemish artists. Bart Peeters, CAPPAERT, Christoff, Cleymans & Van Geel, Clouseau, Daan, Free Souffriau, Geike Arnaert, Günther Neefs, Helmut Lotti, Jasper Steverlinck, Joost Zweegers, Luc Steeno, Metejoor, Natalia, Niels Destadsbader, Ozark Henry, Paul Michiels, Peter Vanlaet, Ruben Block, Sandra Kim, and Stijn Meuris will honor him in a unique way. They will each 'adopt' one of Will Tura's gems (almost 60 number 1 hits in Flanders) in order to present songs from his entire repertoire in the presence of the Master himself.

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, passionate Britisch Geologist and People living on the lava fields of Fogo.

The shelter's address is supposed to remain secret, both for her own sake and for all the other women's. Her phone vibrates in her pocket. She is told to turn it off. It is out of question.

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?

This film is not just an adaptation of Daniel Defoe’s 1719 novel Robinson Crusoe. Rather, it addresses the larger cultural myth that has grown from the premise of the book: a white man ‘civilising’ indigenous inhabitants of an island, and claiming the territory as his own property. In a time today when the call to decolonise the artworld and its associated institutions has never been more urgent, Deboosere's cinematic intervention resonates with a large body of work seeking to destabilise and replace the ideology of imperialism. The result is a singular, subversive film, satirical and surprisingly charming at the same time, which makes sure to pay just as much attention to animals and the natural world as to the follies of human-constructed ‘anthropocene’ history.

Orgasm forms part of The ABCs of Death, a horror shorts anthology that unites a diverse collection of international directors in their ability to disgust, amuse, and – perhaps most importantly – provoke its audience. Orgasm certainly is provocative as the film documents a sadomasochistic sequence that includes the erotic asphyxiation of a woman that (perhaps) ends in her death.

Alfred had to flee his country because of the war. Without housing, he wanders, from rejection to rejection. One day he meets Sonia, who offers him a coffee…

Because of a misunderstanding, Plop turns into the new king! Klus, Kwebbel and Lui move to the palace, while Plop is trained to become royalty, but what happened to the real heir of the throne?

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.

A young woman, Léa, cultivates the land and faces the sun's constant glare. She tries to silently combat the effects of climate change. Meanwhile, three motocross riders roar through the arid landscape, like riders of the apocalypse. The film brings together actors and non-actors in a landscape that suffers in silence.

The father through the eye of the son, the painter through the eye of the filmmaker. Started at random 10 years ago, the picture rewrites in a very subjective way the life of Roger Gobron - born in 1899 in Brussels - who, through his pictorial research, succeeded in giving watercolors a new dimension. "In Belgium, artists are evaluated according to the price of their paintings", A tribute to this simple and generous man who searched and painted watercolors his whole life.

A film montage questioning the ends of the world predicted throughout the ages. What narrative do these representations of catastrophe serve?

For two years, Alex Agnew was forced to stay locked in his house and even more so in his own head. The virus that kept us all in lockdown has clearly left its mark. In his most recent show 'Wake Me Up When It's Over' he rails against everything and everyone, from share-steppers to the avocado-eating elite and rutting miniature poodles.

Strong-willed, funny and charismatic, at 37, Belgian athlete Marieke Vervoort’s time is running out. As her strength falters and her body begins to fail, she determines to end her life with the aid of her doctor. Liberated by the legal permission to die, Marieke rediscovers the freedom and thrill of living and competing and becomes a Paralympic champion. Her acceptance of death becomes an affirmation of life. Marieke demystifies one of the most controversial issues of our time.

At 63, Jawad Bashara has spent more than half his life in exile. But when Islamic State troops set out to obliterate the Sumerian origins of our civilization, he decided to return to Iraq and take action. With renowned archaeologists and 3D technicians from all over the world, he is redoing the path that brought mankind into history, 3500 years before Christ. In order to better safeguard and share it, they have set themselves the mission of immortalizing our common heritage in 3D and virtual reality.

Pierre and his wife Anne had a good thing going together, until their son Nicolas was born. Anne traveled with him on all his long truck journeys, and they had frequent and passionate sex. For quite a few years now, Anne has stayed at home to take care of their boy, who is a sickly, weedy little fellow. Pierre is frustrated. Anne is frustrated too but has her almost incestuous feeling for her son to torment her. Even little Nicolas is frustrated, in part due to the knowledge that his father feels that the sacrifice he and his mother made in raising him hasn't been worth the effort. He too has some release in the form of a good relationship with his gigantic dog. When the seething passions of these four discontented mammals reach a crisis point, the result (in this film) is exceedingly ironic.

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...

A young man returns to his native Romania to make a fresh start as a shepherd. Jannes Callens’ film moves at the same pace as a pasture crossing, between expedition, pause and contemplation. Striking images of this profession merge with existential considerations. How can you guide a flock when you’re a little lost yourself?

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.

Jean V., a forty-year-old bailiff, practises his profession with talent, but without humanity. He is married to Nicole, a 35-year-old consumer in crisis. Jean regularly calls on the services of George, a chronic debtor and folkloric character, who helps him with his "little tricks". Incidentally, George restores Nicole's taste for buying. One day, Jean meets Eddy, a policeman who accompanies him on his round of seizures. But a dispute between them escalates out of all proportion. Pushed to the limit, Jean decides to work with George on a dark plot to teach the cop a lesson.

Amani was 10 years old when he was separated from his mother Riziki after a traumatic night in Kinshasa. He was 20 when he arrived in Brussels to find her and continue his studies. Amani is haunted by the past. Riziki avoids talking about it as she now lives in a relationship with Raphaël. More passionate about art than his studies, Amani abandons them and drifts. Refusing to take the first step towards his mother, he flees the house and forms new friendships to end up under the wing of a car dealer. But his resentment turns against him, against the young woman he covets and ends up hindering the business of his new friends.

Leonie’s dream is to become a pig farmer, just like her parents. She wanders happily around the farm, helping out in any way possible. She tends to the pigs, and is present from the fertilisation of the sows to the moment the truck leaves for the slaughterhouse. The family farm teaches her about the circle of life. However, new laws on nitrogen emissions have undermined the economic viability of the farm, and bankruptcy looms. Together with her cat Skeet, Leonie watches the last pigs disappear from the farm, and she realises that her dream of becoming a pig farmer might not come true.

Issa and his friends want to make a film about bullying. Their limited knowledge of the subject is leading them down the wrong path. Their friend Maïmouna, a young feminist filmmaker, tries to help them get back on track.

Alma always felt distant from her roots. Through separations and growth, Alma will learn to connect with her shadow and thus feel connected to her identity.

In Brussels, Belgium, the Royal Museum of Central Africa is undertaking a radical renovation, both physical and ethical, to show with sincerity, crudeness and open-mindedness the reality of the atrocities perpetrated against the inhabitants of the Belgian colonies in Africa, still haunted and traumatized by the ghost of King Leopold II of Belgium, a racist and genocidal tyrant.

Atopia is an introspective essay about the search for a place that exists between reality and imagination: a placeless place made up out of dreams, chimeras and a desire for gender fluidity.

One summer day in the kitchen of a restaurant. 3 religions and 4 nationalities working together. The boss cannot pay his suppliers and employees, not even the gas. It's hot, the crew is tired. Economic crisis crystallized in a 15m2 kitchen.

Frank, a vet, discovers that his daughter has a lesbian relationship. When he tries to confront her rehearsal of a play named "The Flemish Vampire" something unexpected happens.

On February 18, 1976, La Devinière, a place of institutional psychotherapy, opened its doors to 19 children deemed incurable refused by all. Neither common sense, nor psychiatry, nor pedagogy could admit them, recognize them.

Pierre and his wife Anne had a good thing going together, until their son Nicolas was born. Anne traveled with him on all his long truck journeys, and they had frequent and passionate sex. For quite a few years now, Anne has stayed at home to take care of their boy, who is a sickly, weedy little fellow. Pierre is frustrated. Anne is frustrated too but has her almost incestuous feeling for her son to torment her. Even little Nicolas is frustrated, in part due to the knowledge that his father feels that the sacrifice he and his mother made in raising him hasn't been worth the effort. He too has some release in the form of a good relationship with his gigantic dog. When the seething passions of these four discontented mammals reach a crisis point, the result (in this film) is exceedingly ironic.

At the end of the 18th century, Florentine artists recreated in wax the bodies laid bare by the surgeon’s scalpel. In a symmetrical gesture, this Little Anatomy dissects the images themselves, performing incisions, grafts, and mise en abyme. From this emerges a people of strange creatures.

When the volatile Bo travels to Georgia to visit the grave of her father, a well-known trumpeter, she runs into his former childhood friend Levan. In search of her roots and a better understanding of her father, she decides to hitchhike in Levan's truck. Despite the age difference, they gently give in to the love they feel for each other. The melancholy trumpet playing of Bo's father accompanies their journey through the breathtaking Georgian landscape. In the end, they dare to trust each other to the point where both Bo and Levan share their darkest secrets.

Alfonso, a young squirrel, always has his head in the clouds. He loves watching them and sometimes takes snapshots of them. But cloud-gazing is not always easy. Sometimes, he even has to be really brave.

When David decides to bring a laughter on the sorrowful face of a young girl he has just crossed in a park, he happily ignores the amount of obstacles it will take him to succeed eventually in his goal.

Tonight will be a special night. For the first time in 21 years, the Moon will be visible in the sky. Tonight, time will pass at different speeds for everyone, and no one can know in advance how fast he or she will see the night pass. For the occasion, Elodie has joined some friends who have planned to spend the night in a shared house. There, she meets Sophia, a young woman that she does not leave indifferent. Together, they will face the night and the vagaries of time.

"In Loving Memory of Fleeting Light" is a hybrid documentary that follows a mother and daughter on a journey to find memories of fireflies that were once abundant in rural areas of Northern Italy. The ecological loss of these creatures makes them reflect upon other types of mourning: within the family and the village at large.

Bim, a 7 year old winged bell, flies to Rome for the first time. Together with Bommel, Pi and the experienced Aurora, he is tasked with getting a magic elixir. This unique liquid brings an end to winter and allows spring to begin. The journey is a real challenge for Bim, who isn’t good at flying. Fortunately, he becomes best friends with Pi and Bommel and learns that he has other talents. It turns out Aurora has other plans for the Elixir. Will the three young bells be able to keep the magical substance out of her hands!?

Les yeux fermés invites you to approach music differently. With immersive sound device and placed in darkness – we listen better with our eyes closed. Renewing with an experience as collective as it is personal, evolving within different temporalities and listening contexts, reconnecting with sound.

Liberty, a thriller, tells the story of Matt Robinson, a young Animal Park Guide who feels a deep connection with nature and the local wildlife where he lives. He takes tourists on day excursions to discover the beauty of the land around them and the animals who live freely on it. But our young hero is also an idealist, an activist for animal rights, in conflict with man, who locks up and imprisons animals for commercial and entertainment purposes. His deep love for animals and dedication to helping free those in captivity leads him to make impulsive and illegal actions.

Raïssa and Alio have shared the same room in a foster home since their childhood. One evening, as she returns home, Raïssa discovers that Alio has left the place without telling her.

Nkondi is a short animation set in the Congo, and merges traditional oral incantation and storytelling with the mysticism of animism to spark a narrative of defiance

The film is set in a world where androids have replaced humans for menial tasks, leading unskilled humans to pretend to be robots in order to get a job.

Nola tells the harrowing story of sisters Nola (9) and Liza (15), who grow up in a household scarred by neglect, poverty and domestic violence. Their mother Gina struggles with a drinking problem and constantly oversteps her role as a parent. Despite the hopeless situation, the girls seek solace in small, tender moments together. Liza assumes the role of care figure, but their attempts to maintain some normality are undermined each time. When the situation escalates, child protection intervenes. Nola is a poignant and moving short film about how important it is for a child to be able to grow up in a loving, safe environment. Through the eyes of two children, the film takes a confrontational look at a reality where parental care is lacking and children have to grow up too early. Nola emphasises the need for warmth, stability and protection in a child's formative years.

Night falls somewhere on earth. Here and there, egg-shaped objects cross the sky and crash to the ground. Shortly afterwards, empty seats and fishing rods stuck in the grass are found. Everything becomes strangely quiet.