From 14 to 17 November 2019 at various locations in Brussels (ISELP, Cinematek, and Bozar) the Brussels Art Film Festivalit will take place.

The Brussels Art Film Festival (BAFF) explores the best art documentaries from Belgium and the world. For 4 days, the festival will show films and short films on artistic creation: painting, architecture, dance, performance, music and much more.

This year, 13 Belgian films enter the official competition. In addition to this competition, the BAFF offers 10 international documentaries about mythical persons or the work of artists. This edition also includes meetings, a master class and sessions or workshops for a young audience.

Find the program and more information here.

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THE FLOR DE MARIANO LLINÁS – PART I
PALACE OF FINE ARTS – STUDIO
Sunday 23.06.2019 – 17:00

Selected at the Locarno, Toronto and Rotterdam Film Festivals, La Flor is without a doubt the most ambitious and acclaimed Argentine film project in recent years. This monumental film, which lasts no less than 886 minutes, includes six separate episodes, divided into three parts. The director Mariano Llinás, the actresses of the theater company Piel de Lava and many others have worked for more than 10 years on this project.

La Flor will be screened in full at BRIFF – the first two parts, at BOZAR, and the third at Cinéma Galeries.

« The first episode is a kind of B-movie about an evil mummy, the second is a drama about a duo of musicians who have to record a song despite the end of their relationship, while a secret society is trying to to make an elixir of eternal life.The two episodes have a beginning but end in media res .  » (AR, 2018, 210 ‘, fiction)

THE FLOR DE MARIANO LLINÁS – PART II
PALACE OF FINE ARTS – STUDIO
Monday 24.06.2019 – 17:00

« During the 80’s, in the Argentinean pampas, four spies have to carry out » Operation Hercules. « Through flashbacks telling the story of each character, an intriguing narrative canvas is woven – a masterpiece.  » (AR, 2018, 312 ‘, fiction)

MIA / MATANGY / MAYA
PALACE OF FINE ARTS – STUDIO
Tuesday 25.06.2019 – 19: 00

Daughter of the founder of the Tamil Armed Resistance in Sri Lanka, Matangi had to hide from government forces during an atrocious and bloody civil war. Later, when her family fled to London, she will become Maya, a teenage immigrant and creative immigrant. Today, she is known on the international scene under the name of MIA, a character who mixes the different identities she has forged throughout her career. Matangi / Maya / MIA paints an intimate and unique portrait of the artist and presents her battles with the music industry and the mainstream media while she is at the height of her fame. Today, MIA is one of the most recognizable, frank and provocative voices in the world of music.

MY FRIEND FELA – JOEL ZITO ARAUJO
PALACE OF FINE ARTS – STUDIO
Tuesday 25.06.2019 – 21:00

« My Friend Fela » takes a fresh look at Nigerian Fela Kuti, a musician too often portrayed as « an eccentric idol of African ghetto pop music, » as director Joel Zito Araújo points out. Through the stories of his close friend and official biographer, Afro-Cuban Carlos Moore, this documentary highlights the complexity of Fela’s life. Throughout the documentary, the many influences and dynamics that shaped the extraordinary life of Fela are revealed to us. By putting Fela’s personal story in a pan-African context, the film not only portrays a man but also a whole Pan-African generation. (2019, Brazil, 94 ‘)

VERNON SUBUTEX
PALACE OF FINE ARTS – STUDIO – IN THE PRESENCE OF CATHY VERNEY (CREATION AND PRODUCTION)
Wednesday 26.06.2019 – 19:00

Vernon Subutex, an unemployed music store, is being evicted from his apartment. In search of a place to sleep, Vernon asks former friends of the band Revolver, his legendary record store, including Alex Bleach, rock star on the return. But this one dies of an overdose and leaves him three mysterious videocassettes. While Vernon disappears in the anonymity of the city, he becomes the most sought after man in Paris … Adapted from the novel by Virginie Despentes, Vernon Subutex plunges us into contemporary Paris, populated by unusual characters and rinsed by the time. (FR, 2019, season 1, ep 1 – 3, OV FR ST EN, 3 x 30 ‘)

COPENHAGEN DREAMS – MAX KESTNER
PALACE OF FINE ARTS – STUDIO
Wednesday 26.06.2019 – 21:00

Copenhagen Dreams is a documentary portrait of the Danish capital, directed by Max Kestner. It looks at the physical environments of the city, which shape people’s lives, such as the buildings in which people wake up, the entrance doors we cross and the streets we use. It’s also a film about how our lifestyles affect our environment, the places we dream about and the walls on which we engrave the names of those we love, before it’s too late. (2009, Denmark, 70 ‘)

VIRGIL VERNIER
PALACE OF FINE ARTS – STUDIO
Thursday 27.06.2019 – 18h Projection Mercuriales + discussion Virgil Vernier and 21h Projection Andorra (20 ‘) + James Ferraro Live
« Mercuriales » – (2014, France, 104 ‘)

Mercury is the fastest, hottest, coldest planet. On one side it is always dark, on the other always day. It feels very light, because its gravity is low. The sky is black without any variation, there is no air … This story happens in remote times, Times of violence. Across Europe, a kind of war was spreading. In one city there were two sisters who lived.

« Andorra » – (2013, France, 20 ‘)
A shopping center in the middle of the mountains, pyramids of goods, a glass tower dedicated to body care, Andorra dazzle the promises of modern happiness. But when night comes, the streets fall into silence and Andorra shines only for itself. Andorra is a short film by Virgil Vernier with music by James Ferraro.

In 14 films including 6 feature films, with no career plan and operating in a light economy, Virgil Vernier (° 1976) has established himself as one of the most exciting French filmmakers of the moment. Navigating freely between fiction and documentary, he embarked on a singular exploration of the contemporary world, recording in pseudo-ethnological fashion the mythologies at work in the signs, attitudes and objects that surround us.

For the detailed program of the Festival, see

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The film focuses on the friendship between six-year-old Chilean-Finnish boy Aatos, whose parents (we assume) are both Christian, and his relationship with the similarly-aged Amine, whose parents are both Muslims of Moroccan origin. Together, the boys roam the streets and parks of the (in)famous Molenbeek municipality they call home, doing exactly the sorts of things boys their age tend to do: climbing trees, riding bicycles, reading comic books, and generally just playing around and having a fun time together.

Interspersed with all of these typical boyhood pursuits, however, are scenes that are not normally associated with the lives of two six-year-old children. In particular, the boys appear to have a special predilection for philosophical discussion, especially on matters pertaining to religious practice and theology. Many of these discussions are (faintly) amusing, although one is often conscious of the fact that what one is laughing at is not overly dissimilar to a religiously-themed version of the (long-cancelled) American TV show Kids Say the Darndest Things:

Aatos: Do you know why you can’t eat pork?
Amine: I don’t know if I know why…
Aatos: Do you know what a Muslim is?
Amine: It’s someone who doesn’t eat pork.

Aatos: Do you know who God’s child is?
Amine: It’s… it’s Jesus, but it’s not true.
Aatos: Yes it is.
Amine: No it isn’t. Jesus exists, but he’s not God’s child.
Aatos: But he is God’s child.
Amine: No he isn’t. He’s a prophet… The Arabs know the real history.
Aatos: Why?
Amine: I don’t know.

The comedic effect of all of this is heightened by the fact that the camera is often held at or below the children’s heads’ height, making them look bigger and more powerful than they actually are. Moreover, it suggests that they are to be afforded a certain level of respect – a respect belied by the fact that their theological discussions are invariably so patently, and comically, juvenile.

This contrast, or tension, between the film’s cinematography and its content also raises a further, interesting question: Are the children supposed to be taken seriously, or not? The director, Ms Huhtanen, has stated that, for her, “the film is mostly about tolerance, and friendship which tolerates different viewpoints and worldviews”. The children, then, are evidently supposed to teach us something serious and important. But how are we supposed to reconcile this assertion with the fact that the children’s religious discussions are almost invariably intended to make us laugh, and that the respect implied by the cinematographic choice is only meant ironically?

A related issue is that it is, upon reflection, difficult to construe Aatos and Amine as having any “world-views”, at least in any reasonably well-defined way. (Not that they should be expected to, of course: they’re six.) Indeed, Aatos’ religious beliefs seem to shift radically throughout the course of the film. In the film’s first scene, he “guesses” that gods exist, “but only in Finnish folktales” – which, charitably interpreted, would suggest that he has (cautiously) adopted a philosophically rather sophisticated, ontologically fictionalist version of Finnish paganist polytheism. Later on in the film, however, he defends the mainstream Christian view that God exists and that Jesus Christ is the son of God; but at the same time he also, bizarrely, asks Amine which of his (Amine’s) gods is “the greatest” – suggesting that either he has yet to fully abandon some version of his previous polytheistic beliefs, or that he thinks that Islam is a polytheistic religion. Finally, near the end of the film, he claims to want to have a god “like Amine’s”, suggesting that, after all, he would rather be a Muslim than a pagan or a Christian (or some kind of fusion thereof).

What are we supposed to learn from all of this? That children’s “world-views” are facile, fluid, and often contradictory? That children will, sometimes poorly and occasionally rather amusingly, adopt the religious doctrines and conventions of their parents? That children – or at least some children – are interested in theological matters? Though one cannot be sure, one strongly suspects that the film intends to accomplish far, far more than this.

The most reasonable interpretation of what the film is ultimately trying to do, I think, is to establish the proposition that children with different backgrounds, and, in particular, different religious beliefs, can, in spite of it all, still be friends – even the best of friends. Arguably, however, the film unintentionally succeeds in establishing an entirely different thesis, namely, the absurdity of ascribing any set of religious beliefs to a child at all. For in what sense is Aatos really a Christian, given his undoubted pagan predilections and his apparent desire to become a Muslim?

And in what sense is Amine truly a Muslim, given that he identifies one particular Islamic practice (not eating pork) with the faith’s very essence, and then can’t even explain why such a consequence is part of Islamic practice in the first place? (Serious question: Would Amine therefore also agree that he is Jewish?) Rather than showing that children of different faiths can still be friends, then, perhaps what the film really demonstrates is that children simply lack the capacity to subscribe to different faiths in the first place: that – as Richard Dawkins has also emphasised – it is as absurd to talk of a Muslim or a Christian child as it is to talk of a socialist or a conservative one.

Given all this, an alternative and, for some, perhaps, uncomfortable (re)interpretation of the film suddenly becomes conceivable: that the children are friends precisely because they are not (truly) religious, not in spite of the fact that they are.

What cannot be denied, however, is that the film at the very least succeeds in establishing at least two other, more minor theses: first, that children whose parents are from different religious backgrounds can still be friends; and second, that Molenbeek is not, as some in the media have previously (preposterously) described it, a “hotbed of jihadism”, but on the contrary is a perfectly safe place to live in and to raise a child. These two points will, perhaps, constitute truisms to many people, especially those who have first-hand experience of the municipality. But for many others, especially those living outside of Brussels, or who live outside of places in the world where people of different religious backgrounds live peacefully side-by-side with one another, they are facts that arguably cannot be emphasised often enough.

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From 23 to 30 April, a selection of outstanding documentaries will be screened at various Brussels venues including European Parliament and the House of European History, drawing attention to serious human rights violations around the world at the premises of important European institutions. This year, the festival will highlight the current crisis in Venezuela, freedom of the media in Russia, recent events in Poland, and the contemporary situation in Iraq. Each screening will be followed by a discussion with human right defenders, journalists and academics.

One World in Brussels once again presents the selection of the best movies from One World in Prague, the biggest human rights documentaries festival in the world, awarded also by UNESCO for its contribution to human rights education.

“The topic of this edition is Safe Proximity – through the documentaries and debates, we are looking for what connects us, rather than what brings divisions,” says Zuzana Gruberová from the organizing NGO People in Need. “We are glad that we collaborate with a number of Brussels-based non-governmental organizations that deal with various human rights issues, helping us to provide more context in the debates. As every year, we are expecting among the visitors also those who can have direct impact on the issues discussed and help in resolving them.”

One World in Brussels is organized by People in Need, Czech Permanent Representation to the EU, and Czech Centre Brussels together with local NGOs and other partners. All screenings (except for the opening) are free. You can find the complete program of the 13th annual One World in Brussels, the full list of partners and guests at oneworld.cz/brussels.

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Chances are all of them ended up in Ghana, in the world’s largest dump of electronic appliances called Agbogbloshie. Tons of electronic waste arrive every day to be ripped apart, turned into scrap metal and re-sold to European markets. About 6,000 women, men and children live and work there. Ghanaians call it Sodom. It is one of the most poisonous places on earth.

Welcome To Sodom, a documentary by Christian Krönes and Florian Weigensamer, shows the desolate existence of the people working in Agbogbloshie. Throughout the film there’s one constant image floating across every shot: dark clouds of smoke covering people’s souls, staining their bodies, filling their lungs. Because that’s what is done there, every day of the year, the burning of computer and printer cables, ethernet and telephone cables, the fire will eat everything except the metals.

The camera follows the lives of a handful of characters: a young girl who’s shaved her head to become a boy. “In this world I am a boy. I make more money selling metal as a boy, than water as a girl,” she says. There’s also the man who’s come from Gambia, an educated man with a PhD who likes to read the Shakespeare pages he finds as he walks amid the mounds of waste. And why is he living here? Because in his country, gay men are tortured to death.

At the end of the film one question reverberates in the viewer’s mind: Are we conscious of the effects our ever-growing consumption has on the world and the environment?

The film was shown at Cinema Galeries on March 24th as part of the Millennium Documentary Film Festival. For this edition, the festival’s organizers wanted to highlight the major themes of the globalized world: consumption in all its forms, challenges of the environment, women’s and children’s rights, as well as the hidden sides of social networks and the unknown America.

The festival goes on until March 30th. Not to miss.

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It is known as « immersive » theatre and, if you haven’t experienced it yet, you’ll soon get the chance with an upcoming production in Brussels of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby. The roaring twenties come to life with sparkle, drama and a large yet intimate party in this innovative version of Fitzgerald’s classic novel. Welcome to the world of 1920’s jazz, cocktails and excess with this extraordinary production of Fitzgerald’s seminal tale of lust and liquor.

After five movies and innumerable plays, « The Great Gatsby Immersive » promises to take the audience deeper into the story and closer to the legend than ever before. A spokesman for the show told this website, « In our secret speakeasy in downtown Brussels, the audience will live their own version of the classic tale. They will embark on an adventure with the actors and roam through the home of Jay Gatsby.

« The production is full of hot jazz, bootleg liquor and intimate encounters. From big set piece dance routines, to secret meetings and snatched moments, no audience experience will ever be the same. »

For once the hype is probably justified and if there was any doubt check out the rave reviews the production has received elsewhere. The good news it that it is coming to Brussels where it will take over an as-yet « secret » location in the city after a sell-out season in London. At this version of the story you can learn to Charleston, creep down corridors behind adulterers or eavesdrop on plans for a tea party. Rather than a single linear narrative, the production breathes life into Fitzgerald’s prose with multiple scenes happening simultaneously.

For the Brussels shows, some of which are already sold out, there will be a French cast and a Flemish cast. The production has attracted full houses in London for over 2 years and is creating quite a stir as it is readies to cross the channel. For the uninitiated, The Great Gatsby is « immersive » theatre where the audience itself participates in the story of Jay Gatsby together with the actors.

The characters in the piece are real enough but, uniquely, they tell their story « up close and personal » with the audience.

Be advised: There is no stage but a lot of rooms, bedrooms,  jazz bar and a hidden boudoir. The audience is taken along in tow with the actors and is invited to sing and dance together with them. The public is also asked to come « dressed up » – 20s style of course – but that is not a must. Either way, be prepared for lots of plumes, boas, hats and ties. A week before the show visitors get a message from Jay Gatsby, with the address where they are expected (the location).

For this version, the script has been completely translated and reworked and the show will be presented in Brussels by 10 actors, including Veerle Malschaert, Katja Retsin and Timo Descamps. The Great Gatsby runs from March 21 at a « secret location » in Brussels. Only 200 people can participate per performance so, be warned, early booking is essential.

There are French, Flemish and English versions

• Info & tickets

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Brussels is bursting with enough events, game bars and escape games to delight geeks of all kinds. This year, the capital is putting on a series of unmissable events for gamers and cosplayers.

Here’s a brief overview:

Anima 2019

Anima, Brussels’s international animated film festival, is back with original shorts and feature-length films for young and old alike. For 10 days, Flagey will be vibrating to the rhythm of animation and cartoons — ranging from poetry, humour and happiness to intrigue and mystery. Anima also offers kids’ workshops, a stage for teenagers, concerts, conferences, and so on, putting the spotlight on all lovers of the genre.

Dates: 01 – 10/03/2019
Venues: Cinematek & Flagey

Comic Con Brussels

The most popular comic convention is coming back to Brussels. It welcomes more than 10,000 visitors each year. Visitors will be amazed by fantastic cosplay costumes, get to meet world stars and get lost among the hundreds of specialist stands: comics, cosplay, gaming, films, manga, series, collectables, clothing, games, gadgets and lots more.

Dates: 02 – 03/03/2019
Venue: Tour & Taxis

Made in Asia & Youplay!

Made in Asia & Youplay!, the biggest event for Asian pop culture, manga and video games, awaits fans of the genre at the Brussels Expo. More than 300 exhibitors, shops, fun and cultural activities, concerts with brand new material and international guests will be there.

Youplay!, the largest event in Benelux region for gaming, video and video games, is once again taking over the Brussels Expo, much to the delight of gamers. They’ll get to discover the newest board games, test the latest consoles and experience new VR technologies and, as the icing on the cake, they’ll have the chance to meet their favourite Youtubers.

Dates: 08 – 10/03/2019
Venue: Palais 5, Brussels Expo

BIFFF

The Brussels International Film Festival is an oasis of great films that will get your adrenaline pumping, with cinematic nuggets of horror, science-fiction and thrillers of every kind. You can enjoy around 150 films in the presence of the actors and directors, a bodypainting and make-up contest, a manga market, a zombie parade and a vampires’ ball. Don’t be afraid!

Dates: 09 – 21/04/2019
Venue: BOZAR

Star Wars© in Concert

The legendary Star Wars saga broadcast on the big screen, with the epic soundtrack of John Williams performed live by the National Orchestra of Belgium, under the direction of Dirk Brossé… a breathtaking experience!

Dates: 02/06/2019 (episode 4) and 26/10/2019 (episode 5)
Venue: Palace 12

Brussels Games Festival

The Brussels Games Festival is THE games festival for all audiences and all generations. A free, friendly and jovial celebration at the height of summer in Brussels!

Dates: 23 – 25/08/2019
Venue: Parc du Cinquantenaire

Comic Strip Festival

The ‘must-attend’ comic book event is back with a host of new features.

Dates: 13 – 15/09/2019
Venue: Brussels Park

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Brussels Express has teamed up with Imagine Film to offer free tickets to our loyal readers. More details on our Facebook page.

Synopsis: Leningrad, one summer in the early eighties. Smuggling LP’s by Lou Reed and David Bowie, the underground rock scene is boiling, ahead of the Perestroika. Mike and his wife Natasha meet with young Viktor Tsoï. Together with friends, they will change the destiny of rock’n’roll in the Soviet Union.

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The spring in Brussels belongs to film events and Czech Centre Brussels goes with the flow with its programme of film screenings and festivals in Brussels and in Ghent. This year’s Film Spring is mainly defined by new documentary films produced in the Czech Republic, but feature films and animation will not be left behind.

Reminiscence of Centenary of the Czech and Slovak statehood in the form of docu-fiction “Talks with TGM” will open the Echoes of International Documentary Film Festival Ji.hlava in the European Parliament in February; the Echoes will continue with screenings and masterclasses at RITCS and KASK schools (Brussels and Ghent), followed by the screenings of internationally awarded documentaries “The Central Bus Station” (by Tomáš Elšík), “The Silence of Others” (produced by Pedro Almódovar) and “The Waldheim Waltz” (best documentary of 67th Berlinale) at Cinéma Aventure (Brussels).

 

 

Documentary part of our programme includes also Millenium festival inviting two Czech documentaries this March and, obviously, the one of the highlights of Brussels documentary season – One World in Brussels 2019, a 13th edition of the series of screenings and debates with human rights defenders and activists. One World in Brussels 2019 revolves around the topic of “Safe Proximity” and raises the questions of identity, divided society and common values.

 

 

Czech animation will be represented by young filmmaker Tereza Kovandová who will introduce her film “Bloody Fairy Tales” during ANIMA 2019 in March. A a very remarkable feature film “Domestique” will be a part of this year’s Offscreen festival, and the commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the self-immolation of student Jan Palach will be remembered in the House of the European History on 20th March with screening of the new film by Robert Sedláček.

More information available here

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