Blue Bird nominated for EFA’s Young Audience Award

Director Gust Van den Berghe’s Blue Bird has been nominated for the European Film Academy’s first Young Audience Award. The other two nominees are Boudewijn Koole’s Dutch feature Kauwboy and Sister from French director Ursula Meier, both Berlinale winners. On 10 June, all three films will be screened to a young audience, acting as a jury, in six European cities.

Gust Van den Berghe's Blue BirdThe Young Audience Award, initiated to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the European Film Academy (EFA), is intended to honour European features that appeal to young audiences.

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Published on Sunday 20 May 2012

Young filmmakers join Savage Film's talent pool

Savage Film producer Bart Van Langendonck is in Cannes to present his Brussels-based production outfit’s new three-year slate.  Besides brand new projects from the directors the company started with five years ago (i.e. Michaël R. Roskam and Bram Van Paesschen), young filmmakers such as Hans Van Nuffel, Matthias Schoenaerts and Robin Pront are now joining the producer's growing talent pool to develop their own feature-length projects.

Savage Film founder Bart Van LangendonckEquator is the second feature by Hans Van Nuffel, the 2011 European Film Award® Discovery of the Year winner (for Oxygen). The Faithful (Le fidèle) is the second feature film project from Oscar® nominated director Michaël R. Roskam (Bullhead), while Franky will be the directorial debut of critically acclaimed Flemish actor Matthias Schoenaerts.

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Published on Wednesday 16 May 2012

Brussels design for Montreal poster

The official poster for this year’s Montreal World Film Festival (23 August-3 September) has been designed by Belgian artist Amira Daoudi. With her artwork, the Brussels-based graphic designer won the worldwide contest launched earlier this year. Daoudi, no stranger to the Flemish audiovisual scene, has also worked with directors Michaël R Roskam, Gust Van den Berghe, Nicolas Provost and Nic Balthazar.

Amira DaoudiIn January, the Montreal World Film Festival launched a competition open to artists worldwide, receiving a total of 203 submissions from 16 different countries. From the contributions, eight finalists were chosen by a jury after which the general public was asked to submit their votes.

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Published on Tuesday 8 May 2012

North Sea Texas grabs fifth international prize

Bavo Defurne’s feature film debut North Sea Texas has snared its fifth international prize. The film screened at the Miami Gay & Lesbian Film Festival (27 April-6 May) where it was not only programmed as the closing picture, but also received the HBO Jury Prize for Best Full Length Feature.

Bavo Defurne's North Sea TexasMore than a year after its Belgian release, North Sea Texas keeps on scoring overseas on both sales and festival selections. Recently Bavo Defurne’s feature had the honour of opening the Pink Apple Zürich Film Festival (2-10 May) in advance of its German theatrical release on 10 May.

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Published on Tuesday 8 May 2012

€5 million Screen Flanders fund launched

The Flanders government has announced the creation of Screen Flanders, a €5 million fund aimed at attracting international co-productions to the Flemish region. As an incentive to local spending, producers will be able to apply for up to €400,000. The new initiative is compatible with already existing support mechanisms such as the Belgian tax shelter.

Black Venus set photo (c) cel fotografie stad bruggeWith Screen Flanders, the Flanders government aims to provide additional financial support to productions with large expenditures in the Flemish region. This should encourage a rise in the number of co-productions shot and developed in Flanders and benefit the local film industry both in economic impact and cultural prestige.

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Published on Wednesday 25 April 2012

A Flemish touch to Belgian festival bills

This week, the Open Doek Festival (20 – 29 April) kicked off in Turnhout, while Leuven is getting ready for the 8th edition of the International Documentary Festival DOCVILLE (27 April – 5 May). Both programs house a large selection of Flemish titles, ranging from Daniel Lambo’s Dry Branches of Iran to Berlinale attendees Anton Corbijn Inside Out andAsparragos.

Christoph Bohn's The Boy is GoneFor the eighth consecutive year, DOCVILLE highlights the best documentaries and awards prizes in various sections. This year, Flanders is well represented in its national competition with more than ten short and feature-length film titles.

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Published on Wednesday 25 April 2012

Two Flemish co-productions in Official Cannes selection

Two minority co-productions with Flanders have been confirmed for the Official Selection of the Cannes International Film Festival (16-27 May): Jacques Audiard’s Rust and Bone, with rising star Matthias Schoenaerts (The LoftBullhead) in the leading role, and Joachim Lafosse’s A perdre la raison.

Still from Jacques Audiard's Rust and Bone with Matthias Schoenaerts and Marion CotillardFlemish co-producers of the films are Antonino Lombardo of Brussels-based production outfit Prime Time (A perdre la raison) and Annemie Degryse of Lunanime (Rust and Bone). With his new role in Jacques Audiard’s feature, Matthias Schoenaerts takes another important step in his carreer. Rust and Bone is selected for Official Competition and will be competing for the prestigious Palme d'Or while A perdre la raison has been selected for the Un Certain Regard sidebar.

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Published on Thursday 19 April 2012

VAF announces new round of support

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 SpiralThe 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.

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Published on Tuesday 17 April 2012

TNT launch in Belgium with director Koen Mortier

American cable television channel TNT has launched in Flanders. TNT took on advertising agency Duval Guillaume and director Koen Mortier (Ex Drummer22nd of May) to promote the occasion. The resulting campaign fit perfectly with the channel’s slogan: ‘We know drama’.

TNT screenshot YoutubeTo highlight the launch, a red button with the accompanying text ‘push to add drama' was set up in the middle of a village square somewhere in Flanders. Most passers-by were reluctant to push but a number of people mustered up the courage to give it a try. What followed was carefully orchestrated drama, directed by Koen Mortier, who’s no stranger to the advertising world.

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Published on Tuesday 10 April 2012

Minds Meet to Australab

Tomas Leyers of production outfit Minds Meet has been selected for Puentes – Australab 2012. The producer will join the new and innovative platform connecting professionals from Europe and Latin America with a film project from two-time Cannes-selected director Gust Van den BergheLucifer.

Thomas Leyers_Minds MeetAfter Little Baby Jesus of Flandr and Blue Bird, both of which were selected for Directors’ Fortnight in Cannes, this will be the third collaboration between producer Leyers and director Van den Berghe. Details are still sketchy on the new project but the film did recently receive development support from the Flanders Audiovisual Fund.

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Published on Sunday 8 April 2012