EN - Jawed escaped from Afghanistan and Dashurije left Kosovo in search for a better life. They met each other in the refugee-center in Brussels and since then, the only thing they have in this world is each other – and their yet to be born baby. Through hunger strikes and demonstrations, they manage to obtain a temporary permit to stay in Belgium. The happiness for this positive change is burdened by a chain of events that puts their everyday life under severe pressure. And when new problems arise with their permit to stay, the destiny of their unborn child is at stake.
NL - De Afghaanse Jawed ontmoette de Kosovaarse Dashurije in de vluchtelingenopvang in Brussel. Sindsdien hebben ze alleen elkaar in de langdurige strijd voor een verblijfsvergunning. Na een hongerstaking van negentien dagen kreeg Jawed toestemming om zes maanden in België te blijven. Inmiddels is Dashurije zwanger en wacht het jonge stel alweer maanden op een antwoord voor de verlenging van hun verblijfsvergunning. Het lijkt erop dat het leven als illegale immigranten nog zwaarder is dan het leven dat ze ontvluchtten. Jawed kwam op zijn zestiende vastgebonden onder een vrachtwagen van Afghanistan naar Europa. Dashurije kon het haast niet geloven toen ze dat hoorde, vertelt ze, maar nu blijkt dat de echte beproevingen nog moest komen. Door zijn hongerstaking heeft hij een schuld bij het ziekenhuis, maar ze hebben niet eens genoeg geld om te eten. De voedselpakketten die ze krijgen voor twee weken, bevatten nauwelijks middelen om vier dagen door te komen. Maar het ergst is het wachten op de papieren, zegt Dashurije: "Daar gaat je hoofd kapot van." Het karakter van de eerst zo verliefde Jawed verandert door de stress, en daarmee ook hun relatie. Maar ook het lot van hun zoon is onzeker, als na zijn geboorte blijkt dat ze zonder geld zelfs voor hem geen hulp kunnen verwachten.
Info
| Title | Expecting |
|---|---|
| Original title | Kinderen van de rekening |
| Original version | Dutch |
| Status | Completed |
| Production | Majority Flemish |
| Category | Docs |
| Genre | social issues documentary |
| Year of production | 2012 |
| World première / first public presentation | 2012-11-17 |
Credits
| Photography | Brecht Vanmeirhaeghe, Fabio Wuytack, Jeremy De Ryckere, Maya Wuytack |
|---|---|
| Sound | Raf Enckels, Geert Waelput |
| Music | Tim Spanhove |
Technical specs
| Running time film | 30' |
|---|---|
| Release format | Blu-ray |
| Other available formats | HDCAM, DCP |
| Aspect ratio | 16:9 |
| Sound format | 5.1 |
| Colour | Colour |
| Available in | 2D |
Partners
| Supported by | VAF/Media Fund, King Baudoin Foundation, The Provinces of Antwerp & Limburg |
|---|---|
| Tax shelter partners | B-architecten |
Festivals
2012: International Documentary Film Festival - IDFA (Reflecting images: Panorama) (NL)
IDFA: The complexity of illegal immigration
Expecting is about a couple, Jawed from Afghanistan and Dashurije from Kosovo, struggling to start a new life in Belgium. As they wait for news of their application to remain in the country, they are also expecting their first child. The 30-minute film screens in IDFA's Panorama section, which is devoted to films that are thought provoking in their form and theme.
Director Fabio Wuytack started with the idea in abstract rather than this particular story, drawn to the way having a child cuts through the complexity of illegal immigration. 'An audience can connect directly to the story and its reality, instead of always ending up in ideological discussions,' he says.
IDFA: Flanders docs out in full force
Five documentaries as well as two projects from Flanders have been selected for this year’s 25th IDFA. The five docs are Rain by Gerard-Jan Claes and Olivia Rochette, The Sound of Belgium by Jozef Devillé, Expecting by Fabio Wuytack, Snake Dance by Manu Riche and Patrick Marnham, and The Wave by Sarah Vanagt and Katrien Vermeire. Projects from two Flemish documentary makers –The Shadow World by Johan Grimonprez and White Elephants by Kristof Bilsen – are also selected for the IDFA Forum.
Rain by Gerard-Jan Claes and Olivia Rochette features in the First Appearance competition and follows a ballet production from initial auditions right up to opening night. Producer is Bart Van Langendonck for Savage Film. In Expecting (pictured left), which is selected for the IDFA Panorama, director Fabio Wuytack portrays an Afghan-Kosovan refugee couple as they struggle through their daily lives. The Sound of Belgium by Jozef Devillé and produced by Visualantics is part of the Music Documentary competition and explores the rich, untold story of Belgian dance music.
Flanders docs bonanza at 25th IDFA
Five documentaries from Flanders as well as five co-productions are selected for this year's 25th edition of IDFA (14-25 November). The five are: Rain by Gerard-Jan Claes and Olivia Rochette, The Sound of Belgium by Jozef Devillé, Expecting by Fabio Wuytack, Snake Dance by Manu Riche, and The Wave by Sarah Vanagt and Katrien Vermeire. Projects from two Flemish documentary makers, The Shadow World by Johan Grimonprez and White Elephants (working title) by Kristof Bilsen, can also be found in the IDFA.
Rain by Gerard-Jan Claes and Olivia Rochette features in the First Appearance competition for first documentaries. On 25 May 2011, the world-renowned Ballet de l’Opéra national de Paris presented Rain, in its first ever performance by Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker. Olivia Rochette and Gerard-Jan Claes followed the rehearsal process from the auditions to the opening performance. Producer is Bart Van Langendonck for Savage Film.
Last edited on 7 May 2013