EN - Allez, Eddy! is a heartwarming comedy about 11-year old cyclist-fan Freddy, son of a butcher in an idyllic village in nowhereland. Freddy's isolated life totally disrupts when the first supermarket opens its doors in the village. As their openingevent the supermarket organises a cyclist race, the winner of the race will meet Eddy Merckx. Freddy's father, a fierce opponent of the supermarket doesn't want to hear anything about the race. Freddy races nonetheless. By participating a new world opens up, not only for Freddy but also for the people around him.
NL - Allez, Eddy! is een hartverwarmende komedie over het elfjarig wielertalentje Freddy, zoon van een slager in een idyllisch dorpje in niemandsland. Zijn geïsoleerde leventje wordt volledig overhoop gehaald wanneer in 1975 de eerste supermarkt in het dorp zijn deuren opent. Ter gelegenheid van de opening organiseert de supermarkt een wielerwedstrijd waarbij de winnaar Eddy Merckx zal ontmoeten. Freddy’s vader is fervent tegenstander van de supermarkt en wil niets van de wedstrijd weten. Freddy schrijft zich toch stiekem in. Door deelname aan de race gaat er een nieuwe wereld open, niet alleen voor Freddy maar ook voor alle mensen om hem heen.
FR - Allez, Eddy ! est une comédie chaleureuse à propos de Freddy, un fan de cyclisme de 11ans, fils de boucher dans un village idyllique perdu au milieu de nulle part. La vie isolée de Freddy est bouleversée lorsque le premier supermarché du village ouvre ses portes. Comme événement d’ouverture, le supermarché organise une course de vélo dont le gagnant rencontrera Eddy Merckx. Le père de Freddy, fervent opposant au supermarché, refuse d’entendre quoi que ce soit à propos de cette course. Le jeune garçon va cependant concourir. En participant, un nouveau monde s’ouvre, non seulement pour Freddy, mais aussi pour les personnes autour de lui.
Info
| Title | Allez, Eddy! |
|---|---|
| Original title | Allez, Eddy! |
| Original version | Dutch |
| Status | Completed |
| Production | Majority Flemish |
| Category | Features |
| Year of production | 2011 |
| World première / first public presentation | 2012-03-28 |
Credits
| Cast | Peter Van den Begin, Barbara Sarafian, Jelte Blommaert, Els Dottermans, Stefaan Degand, Jelle Cleymans, Frieda Pittoors a.o. |
|---|---|
| Screenplay | Gert Embrechts |
| Photography | Bert Pot |
| Editing | Els Voorspoels |
| Sound | Dirk Bombey |
| Art director | Wilbert Van Dorp |
| Costume | Kristin Van Passel |
| Makeup | Mariel Hoevenaars, Cindi Van Looveren |
| Music | Gast Waltzing |
Technical specs
| Running time film | 100' |
|---|---|
| Release format | DCP |
| Colour | Colour |
| Available in | 2D |
Partners
| Supported by | Flanders Audiovisual Fund (VAF), Film Fund Luxemburg, NFF (Dutch Filmfund), Eurimages, Media Programme of the European Union, Tax Shelter Belgium |
|---|---|
| Production partners | Jimmy De Brabant, Bob Bellion - Delux Productions (Luxembourg), Burny Bos, Ruud Van Der Heyde - BosBros (Netherlands), Martin Dewitte - Anchorage Entertainment (Belgium), Eén |
| Tax shelter partners | Gebroeders Demasure, Garage VandeCasteele, Matexi, Cras, Imbock Kinepolis Group, Belgacom, De Dijk |
The Bicycle Treat
Remember Eddy Merckx? There was a time in the 1970s when he seemed to be Belgium’s very own answer to Superman, a prodigy on two wheels who won the Tour de France several times. Whenever he was in a big race, the country would grind to a halt. Men would crowd round fuzzy TVs in spit and sawdust bars to roar him on. His victories inspired them and made them feel better about themselves. Merckx’s exploits were certainly uplifting for the troubled young protagonist of Gert Embrechts’ debut feature, Allez, Eddy!
‘Certainly, in Belgium, Eddy Merckx was a super-hero,’ Embrechts declares. ‘He was a perfect human being, as perfect as can be.’
Allez, Eddy! takes place in 1975, when the Belgian cyclist was at his peak… but also the year when he lost the Tour de France for the first time. The setting is a small provincial town. The main character is Freddy, a shy and repressed ginger-haired 11-year-old boy who suffers from incontinence and whose mother cossets him. His room at the top of the house is a shrine to Merckx. Freddy has his own bike, suspended by ropes from the ceiling so that he can recreate his hero’s greatest rides.
Modernity is encroaching. Freddy’s dad has a butcher’s shop and is terrified that the big new supermarket will steal away all his custom. However, to mark the opening of the supermarket, a special race has been planned. The winner will get to meet… Merckx himself! Even though the father hates the supermarket, he secretly signs up Freddy for the race. This is a rites of passage story. Not only does Freddy need to take a step from childhood and fantasy into the grown-up world… his village has to adjust to a new age.
Last edited on 16 April 2012