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Subscribe to the RSS feedBlue 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.
The 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.
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.
Equator 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.
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.
In 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.
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.
More 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.
€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.
With 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.
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.
For 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.
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 Loft, Bullhead) in the leading role, and Joachim Lafosse’s A perdre la raison.
Flemish 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.
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 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.
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 Drummer, 22nd of May) to promote the occasion. The resulting campaign fit perfectly with the channel’s slogan: ‘We know drama’.
To 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.
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 Berghe, Lucifer.
After 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.