The Only Son

Sien Versteyhe’s JUNIOR and Bram Conjaert’s VAF Wildcard film The Circle have been selected for the 20th edition of Hot Docs, the Canadian International Documentary Festival (25 April-5 May). Both medium-length films are screening in the fest’s International Spectrum category, making them eligible for the Award for Best Mid-Length Documentary, as well as the Audience Award. The Only Son, a minor co-production with Flanders, is selected for the World Showcase section. Along with IDFA, Hot Docs is one of the world’s foremost documentary film festivals.

JUNIOR is premiering internationally at Hot Docs after a work-in-progress of the film had screened at the Belgian Docville fest, receiving a Special Mention from the International Jury. Bram Conjaerts’ The Circle was also added to the fest’s Official Selection and is to receive its world premiere in Toronto.

Documentary producers from the Dutch-speaking part of Benelux – The Netherlands and Flanders – will be teaming up this Wednesday to pitch the region as an attractive co-production partner. The event marks the first joint outing for the two producers’ associations, DPN (Documentary Producers Netherlands) and Flanders Doc. Among other things, the presentation, which is part of the IDFA Forum, will look at funding opportunities available in both The Netherlands and Flanders.

This year’s IDFA features a number of co-productions with minority Flemish input: The Gatekeepers by Dror Moreh (co-prod: Anna Van der Wee for Wild Heart Productions) in Feature-length Documentaries competition; Mussels In Love by Willemiek Kluijfhout (pictured left) (co-prod: Bram Crols and Mark Daems for Associate Directors); Anton Corbijn Inside Out by Klaartje Quirijns (co-prod: Savage Film); Guerilla Grannies – How To Live In This World by Ike Bertels (co-prod: Ellen De Waele for Serendipity Films); and The Only Son by Simonka de Jong (co-prod: Eric Goossens for Off World).

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.

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.

The Flanders Audiovisual Fund (VAF) has announced financial support for a series of in-the-pipeline feature film ventures. The list includes some exciting titles, such as a new project from the team behind the box office and festival hit Come As You Are.

Three projects  were granted production support. Director Hilde Van Mieghem’s Speachless is an adaptation of a novel by acclaimed author Tom Lanoye. The film will tell the true story of Josée Verbeke, Lanoye’s mother. The project’s production will be taken care of by the Caviar team. Hans Herbots’ (The Spiral, The Divine Monster) had his ready-to-go project, The Treatment (De Behandeling), granted VAF production support. The Treatment will be produced by Eyeworks Film & TV Drama.