12 - 23 October 2021, 48th edition   web version

Press release

Film Fest Ghent goes for the encounter For its 48th edition (12 - 23 October), Film Fest Ghent will again be a vibrant and pleasant meeting place for everyone who wants to experience film and film culture. International guests will be present in abundance, including the directors Leos Carax, Ari Folman, Miguel Gomes, Radu Jude, Jacques Audiard, Panah Panahi, and actresses Ludivine Sagnier and Renate Reinsve, who won the Best Actress Award in Cannes with The Worst Person in the World. While last year’s 47th edition had to transform itself into a hybrid, restrained festival edition characterised by solidarity with festival colleagues and cinemas, this year Film Fest Ghent goes all out for the encounter with its visitors. The 48th edition of Film Fest Ghent presents a selection of the most challenging, original and vital films around. It promises to be a rough ride this year with our selected filmmakers focussing on difficult, often violent subject matter, raising tough questions about society and offering new perspectives in the process. Anger can be useful and productive. There was plenty of film material to choose from. Programme director Wim De Witte and his team selected 118 feature films and 31 short films from an offer of almost 1,100 titles, subdivided into more than 900 screeners and about 150 physically or digitally presented festival films from Berlin, Cannes, Karlovy Vary, Locarno, Toronto, Telluride and others. Wim De Witte is particularly proud that this year sees more recent films make it into the programme than ever before. The recently concluded Venice Film Festival proved to be a notably strong source with films such as, among others, Captain Volkonogov Escaped by Aleksey Chupov and Natasha Merkulova, The Last Duel by Ridley Scott, The Card Counter by Paul Schrader, Madres paralelas by Pedro Almodovar and The Lost Daughter by Maggie Gyllenhaal. Not forgetting Spencer by Pablo Larrain, the film about Diana, Princess of Wales, which premiered in Venice and is also in the running for our Grand Prix 2021.

Memory and remembrance  The selection of competition films looks great and stands out in 2021 thanks to its diversity. Laura Wandel makes her debut with Un Monde, a searing portrayal of a child’s first experience of the school playground with all its complex layers of cruelty and compassion. Gaspar Noé on the other hand, renews himself and exchanges sex, violence and other stroboscopic effects for a story about growing old, dementia and death in Vortex. As well as the previously mentioned theme of violence, memory and remembrance is another recurring motif in a few festival films. Apichatpong Weerasethakuforegrounds this theme in the title of his latest film, Memoria, in which Tilda Swinton - fascinated by loud bangs only she can hear - goes on a trip and ends up in a Colombian excavation site. The Thai director is known for his intoxicating static style, which has its supporters and detractors. Film Fest Ghent figures as a meeting place for extremes. Moving house will never be the same once you have seenDas Mädchen und die Spinne. The Swiss directing duo Ramon and Silvan Zürcher work wonders with their camera in the small apartments of the main characters. If you like intelligent fairy tales and you are not too fazed by seeing street dogs supporting their favourite football team, then What Do We See When We Look at the Sky? by Georgian director Alexandre Koberidze is the film for you. Moreover, the love story between the protagonists Lisa and Giorgi is the most original one you will see at the festival. The love affair in The Worst Person in the World by Joachim Trier is equally touching. Despite its dark and hard moments, the film still radiates fresh joie de vivre, thanks to leading actress Renate Reinsve. Horror and violence are concealed in tense undercurrents inInexorable by Fabrice du Welz while the bloody but visually breath-taking Captain Volkonogov Escaped has them in abundance.

Why We Fight Programme director Wim de Witte recalls his first harsh encounter with the film violence in this year’s programme when watching Animals by Nabil Ben Yadir, inspired by the first homophobic murder in Belgium committed in 2014 near Liège. The offenders even filmed their vicious crime. Through his raw film, the director wants to start a conversation with young people, including those from so-called deprived neighbourhoods. Maybe something positive could arise from a confrontation with the horror. Shortly after, Alain Platel and Mirjam Devriendt presented Why we Fight?, a film about aggression based on Platel’s dance performance Nicht Schlafen. The dancing scenes were complemented by interventions from dancers, philosophers and other authors. The question of why we turn our anger or rage into something negative does not immediately have an unambiguous answer. Then the screening of Cool Abdoul followed, based on the life of the Ghent-based boxing legend Ismaïl “Cool” Abdoul, who was arrested after winning the European title and served a five-year prison sentence. Today, Ismaïl Abdoul is in contact with vzw Touché, an organisation that wants to inspire society to deal with aggression in a constructive way. Ismaël Abdoul says he regrets not having come into contact with Touché while serving his sentence and now works together with the organisation. Charity: vzw Touché Every year, Film Fest Ghent supports a charity. This year it is vzw Touché, which initially had prisoners as its target audience, but broadened its scope to society as a whole. “When I was listening to the podcast Zwijgen is geen optieby Touché founder Marjan Gryson, everything fell into place” says Wim De Witte. “Through solution-focused guidance, training, workshops, boxing sessions, silence activities and campaigns, Touché works with people to turn their anger into a positive power. They think ‘out of the box’ and use the fuel of anger to get things done, changed and improved.” In practical terms, this means that people can choose to pay a little extra when buying an online ticket. The collected money will go to vzw Touché. Transforming anger La Civil, our opening film directed by Teodora Ana Mihai, shows how anger can be transformed into positive action. The main character Cielo endures a lot and her experiences are based on true events. When her daughter is kidnapped in northern Mexico, Cielo decides to take action herself. Enraged, she rails against the authorities, defies the kidnappers by enlisting the army to help her search, and takes the law into her own hands. In the film, Cielo survives; in reality, she was shot on Mother's Day.

Closing film: The French Dispatch Film Fest Ghent will conclude with The French Dispatch, the first live-action film by Wes Anderson in seven years. The film is conceived as a five-part ‘magazine’ in which a star cast, including Léa Seydoux, Jeffrey Wright, Mathieu Almaric, Timothée Chalamet, Willem Dafoe and Christoph Waltz, gives shape to a series of remarkable characters. Complemented by Wes Anderson’s trademark visual language, The French Dispatch is the perfect end to the festival.

Mr. Bachmann and His Class  In contrast to La Civil, the positivity ratio of the festival films is boosted by the German documentary Herr Bachmann und seine Klasse. Documentarian Maria Speth placed her camera in the middle of Herr Bachmann’s classroom near Berlin. Rules and manuals to be followed strictly drive him up the wall. He chooses to put his pupils first; not in a clichéd way but starting from each student’s often wounded personality. His class mainly consists of children from immigrant families. What Bachmann achieves with his approach leaves you speechless at times and provides touching moments. A must for everyone in the field of education.

Focus on Greece, the birthplace of drama With our focus on Greek cinema we return to the birthplace of drama and programme director Wim De Witte hopes for a “cathartic moment after the exhausting battle against the coronavirus.” Thanks to Lanthimos’ screenwriter Efthymis Filippou, who is featured on the campaign image of the 48th edition, Film Fest Ghent recalls the so-called Greek ‘weird wave cinema’. It started with Dogtooth (2009) by Yorgos Lanthimos which paved the way for gems such as TheLobster (2015) andTheKilling of the Sacred Deer (2017). How alive this wave is in 2021 can be determined by looking at six Greek arthouse films that do not have much in common. Ballad For a Pierced Heartby Yannis Economides is a kind of Greek Tarantino film, Digger by Georgis Grigorakis is a generational drama in which the son returns home after his mother dies. Entwined by Minos Nikolakakis is about a woman in the woods who stays young forever because she gets her energy from men. There are links to Greek mythology. Janis Rafa, in Kala Azar, portrays a couple collecting animal corpses and Alexander Voulgaris, in Winona, shows four girls on a sultry beach in the afternoon. But who is Winona? Finally,Jacqueline Lentzou presents her first feature film. In her Moon, 66 Questions the main character Artemis returns to her father in Athens. She learns a secret from him, which makes her love him more than ever.

Retrospective short films Jacqueline Lentzou Jacqueline Lentzou became known as a short film maker and Ghent does a double take with her this year: she presents her films and is a member of the short film jury that also includes director Pedro Peralta and Meltse Van Coillie. Short film programmer Michiel Philippaerts introduces her: "Her refreshingly individual film language can be described as intimate or dreamy, but it is mainly the special sensitivity with which she portrays her characters that stands out and makes her one of the most striking names in our programme. Apart from that, I think Lentzou is one of the most interesting names to keep an eye on today. She has already made particularly original short films and her first feature film is at least as refreshing. If she keeps this up, we are sure to see her in the main competition at Berlin or Cannes in the next few years.” For the third time in a row, there is a competition for International Shorts and, as with previous years, the student short films are present as well. In all three series of international short films there can be found a Belgian short film. The most striking one is My Uncle Tudor by Olga Lucovnicova, who won the Golden Bear for best short film at the Berlinale earlier this year. Olga Lucovnicova is joined by Magali Coremans with Traverser and Anthony Schatteman with L'Homme inconnu. Programmer Michiel Philippaerts sounds enthusiastic about the Belgian short film competition: "We saw a lot of great films this year, which did not make it easy to put together the programme. In the end, it is striking how the directors of the selected films did not choose the easy way. They are all filmmakers who do not shy away from formal experiments, who radiate maturity through the way they tackle certain themes - without ever losing their playfulness. In short, filmmakers we will hear a lot more from - especially after the world premiere of their films at Film Fest Ghent.”

A prominent place for documentaries  With 23 documentaries, the documentary genre occupies a prominent place in the 48th edition of the festival. Quite rightly so, because the importance of the genre is still increasing. Film Fest Ghent underlines this by including a documentary in the competition, just like last year. Faya Dayi by Jessica Beshir is not in the competition because of the genre, but because the film qualitatively belongs there. Jessica Beshir situates her film in the East-Ethiopian city of Harar and its surroundings. There, the lucrative crop named khat is grown, which helps Sufi Muslims to gain spiritual experience but it is also an addictive substance with which millions of Ethiopians try to forget their daily sorrows. A mixture of the religious and the profane. What more do you need to give a film mythical dimensions?

Tags to make choices Film Fest Ghent divides its selected films into sections, but also adds one or more tags to the films. Tags give the film a label so you can better place the film, both formally and thematically. Tags do not take sections into account. Documentaries about Paolo Conte, the Beatles or Luis Buñuel, for example, can be found under ‘Docs’ (tag) as well as under ‘Artists on Film’ (section) or ‘Sound and Vision’ (section). Last year, the Masters were still played off against the New Voices in separate sections. From now on, they will be given tags that can be used as a guide when choosing the films. Examples of films with the ‘Masters’ tag: Annette by Leos Carax, Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn by Radu Jude (Golden Bear at the Berlinale 2021!), Benediction the new film straight from Toronto by Terence Davies, Cliff Walkers by Zhang Yimou, Cow by Andrea Arnold, the media films France by Bruno Dumont and The French Dispatch by Wes Anderson. The ‘New Voices’ tag goes to, among others, Ballad of a White Cow by Maryam Moghadam & Behtash Sanaeeha, Lamb by Valdimar Jóhannsson, Four Seasons in a Day by Annabel Verbeke, La Civil by Teodora Ana Mihai, La Ruche by Christophe Hermansand Wet Sand by Elene Naveriani.

Classics, with a unique Theo Angelopoulos retrospective It is said that a cinephile knows his classics. And who knows them better than Patrick Duynslaegher? That is why the former artistic director of Film Fest Ghent still curates an annual series of Classics for Film Fest Ghent. This year he managed to put together a unique retrospective of Greek film director Theo Angelopoulos. All Angelopoulos' feature films are brought together for the first time in Flanders. They are all infused with Angelopoulos’ trademark sense of history. Patrick Duynslaegher on Theo Angelopoulos: "He was a stylist through and through. With his breathtaking plan-séquences and the many scenes in the rain, snow or fog, Angelopoulos' filmography is a true feast for the eyes. By interweaving past and present, he shed light on the complex and conflictual history of his country.” The retrospective is accompanied by a handy mini brochure with an appreciation of the filmmaker Angelopoulos and with a timeline in which Patrick Duynslaegher places Angelopoulos’ films in their historical context. An informative gem that will easily outlast this festival edition.

Kidsproof Last year Film Fest Ghent started issuing informative, illustrated mini brochures in which a certain selection from the programme is bundled and presented. This year the initiative will be expanded with booklets on the Explore Zone (for young film fans), the Plus Parcours (for the slightly older film fan), Classics and the Industry Days (for a professional film and film music audience).  Like last year, the Kidsproof booklet with children’s and youth films was compiled in cooperation with the youth film organisation JEF and contains a fun interactive section. The 10+ kids will be served up a hefty but manageable film selection this year. There is not only the autobiographical When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit by Caroline Link, but also a contemporary take on the life of Anne Frank. In Where is Anne Frank, animation filmmaker Ari Folman brings Kitty, the imaginary friend to whom Anne Frank wrote, to life. Kitty searches for the traces Anne Frank left behind in Amsterdam. There is less heavy film material for toddlers and preschoolers and for the first time grandparents are given a special opportunity to take their grandchildren to the cinema. The choice fell on Mijn moeder is een gorilla by Linda Hämback. The film is part of the Plus Parcours series and Roel Van Bambost will be present at the screening as well. On the Kidsproof Family Day (17 October) there is an audiovisual film lab in the Fantasia room at Kinepolis, where children can learn about Virtual Reality and make a stop motion film with the characters from the Anne Frank film.

Gender and diversity If there is one festival film that raises and focuses on gender issues, it is without a doubt The Conductor by Bernadette Wegenstein. The conductor she is talking about is called Marin Alsop. When she was nine years old, Marin attended a concert in New York conducted by Leonard Bernstein. "That's what I want to be," she said to herself, "a conductor." Alsop has grown into a top conductor who has conducted our National Orchestra several times during the finals of the Queen Elisabeth Competition. Wegenstein describes Alsop's journey not only before reaching the top, but also before she could start her studies. At the prestigious Juilliard School in New York, she had to apply four times. Her applications were rejected because she was a woman. The documents in question are shown in the film. Still, Marin Alsop was able to shatter the glass ceiling. One of her pupils, Alexandra Arrieche, now conducts the Antwerp Philharmonic Orchestra during the Night of the Proms concert series. The Conductor is a wonderfully uplifting film. And another one that turns anger into film pleasure. In its approach to gender and diversity, Film Fest Ghent wants to go further than simply observing that there is a problem. "We want to think in terms of solutions", says Wim De Witte. That is why on 18 October after the screening of the book Mooi zijn en zwijgen. De machtige vrouwen van de Amerikaanse stille film by Anke Brouwers, there will be another panel discussion on diversity in casting. Films such as Animals, Cool Abdoul, Dealer and the TV series Grond (of which the first two parts were directed by Adil el Arbi and Billal Fallah), shown in the context of Serial Madness section, give cause for this. For this event Film Fest Ghent is cooperating with WANDA Collective, WIFTM, Represent and VAF.

Daily Film Fest Gent Talkies (talk show) The FFG Talkies in the Film Fest Café - Film Fest Ghent’s monthly talk show that will be held daily during the festival - will talk about the role of film criticism (two new film magazines will be launched - Humbug and Fantômas), the current status of the short film, and Ghent film posters in the context of the book and exhibition Gent Filmstad: Cinema’s en filmaffiches, 1938 - 1961. Avi Mograbi, Miguel Gomes, Radu Jude and Fabrice Du Welz will give an extensive Director's Talk. Leos Carax and Ari Folman will be present for a Q&A session with the audience after their respective film screenings.

FFG and Kunstencentrum Voo?uit For the fourth time, Film Fest Ghent and Kunstencentrum Voo?uit collaborate under the name VIDEODROOM to bring together film and live music. This year's highlight is Condor Gruppe's update of François de Roubaix's mysterious score for Daughters of Darkness, Harry Kümel's 1971 cult vampire film. You can also (re)discover Visions in Meditation by Stan Brakhage, thanks to Steve Gunn. The performance track GHOST also returns. The previous setting of The Shining now makes way for the one from Mad Max. Since the Ghent-based Courtisane festival cannot take place for the second time in a row, Film Fest Ghent will also host its colleagues this year. Courtisane takes place parallel to Film Fest Ghent.

When film and music blend together Film Fest Ghent traditionally has a very strong focus on music in film, and this year is no different. "The film festival and its music section rarely blended so well together as this year," says Wim De Witte, "and that is, of course, thanks to the Greek festival focus. Eleni Karaindrou, Theo Angelopoulos' regular composer, will receive a World Soundtrack Lifetime Achievement Award in Ghent.” In the film music concert Great Greek Composers, her symphonic music will be complemented by works by the recently deceased Mikis Theodorakis and by scores by Evanthia Reboutsika, who won the Discovery of the Year Award in 2006. The music of these three and other Great Greek Composers will be performed in the Ghent Opera on 22 October by the Brussels Philharmonic under the direction of Dirk Brossé, music director of FFG. The next day, the Brussels Philharmonic and Dirk Brossé will again be present at the Opera for the presentation of the prestigious World Soundtrack Awards. There, the renowned and innovative German composer Max Richter is the guest of honour. On the occasion of the 21st presentation of the World Soundtrack Awards, three albums by previous guests and awardees were updated.Gabriel Yared: Music for film even became a double album. The albums of Shigeru Umebayashi and Mychael Danna were complemented by recent work. Dirk Brossé was the conductor on each album. Prior to both concerts - during the four-day WSA Industry Days - many events are on the agenda including a film music seminar with Nathalie Holt, meetings, workshops and Composer Talks with Austin Wintory, Daniel Pemberton, Nainita Desai and Max Richter. For the first time, the Industry Days will also focus on game music. To conclude, through the Third Character matchmaking project, Film Fest Ghent wants to play a pioneering role together with the Aubagne festival in bringing composers and directors together. How should they deal with each other? When should they contact each other? How and when do they best start composing? What can they expect from each other? Film Fest Ghent wants to fulfill its role as a meeting place to the max.

Discover the programme on the FFG website   CLICK HERE

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Press contact Kim Verthé (Film Fest Ghent) l kim@filmfestival.be l +32 (0) 494 33 42 84 The 48th edition of Film Fest Ghent will take place from 12 to 23 October 2021. The 21st World Soundtrack Awards will be held on 23 October 2021. Like Film Fest Gent and WSA on Facebook. Follow us on Instagram, Twitterand Spotify for new playlists. #FFGent #WSAwards