The only nation is the imagination.
11 lectures, 11 Belgian films, 11 Q&A’s with filmmakers and/or film scholars.
All in English language.
Tuesday Evenings from 20/2 until 14/5/2024
18:30 – 19:30 : Lecture with film clips
19:45 – 21:45 : Film with short intro
21:45 – 22:15 : Q&A
Read more below.
11 LECTURES ON BELGIAN CINEMA + 11 FILM SCREENINGS
IN CINEMA RITCS
With the support of UAB (Universitaire Associatie Brussel, EhB-VUB)
In May 2022, three Belgian films made by five directors won important awards at the most prestigious film festival in the world – Cannes. Lukas Dhont won the Grand Prix for “Close.” The duo Charlotte Vandermeersch and Felix Van Groeningen won the Prix du Jury for “Le otto montagne” and the Belgian brothers Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne were awarded the Prix du 75° festival for “Tori et Lokita”. During that same festival, the two friends Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah presented their film “Rebel” out of competition. What an extraordinary festival for the quality and diversity of Belgian cinema. “Close” was also an Academy Award Nominee for Best International Feature Film in 2023. Baloji won the New Voice Award for his Congolese-Belgian film “Augure” in Cannes. “Here” by Bas Devos got the Encounters Award in Berlin and Fien Troch’s “Holly” was the first Belgian film ever to be nominated for a Golden Lion in Venice. “Small Things Like These“ by Belgian director Tim Mielants will open the Berlinale on the 15th of February 2024. Belgian Cinema shines.
Once every decade and that since 1952, the distinguished British film magazine, “Sight and Sound” has polled film critics and cinephiles around the world and listed the 100 greatest films of all- time. From 1962 until 2012, for 5 decades, number 1 has always been “Citizen Kane”(1941) by the then 26 year old Orson Welles. Last year 2022, 1632 film critics and film lovers have voted “Jeanne Dielman, 23 quai du commerce, 1080 Bruxelles”, greatest film of all-time and magnum opus by Belgian and female filmmaker Chantal Akerman. This year 2024, la Fondation Chantal Akerman, Cinematek, Bozar and also Cinema Ritcs work together for screenings of, lectures and debates on the filmwork of Chantal Akerman (1950-2015).
The international recognition for the Belgian cinema, the focus on Chantal Akerman within the Belgian presidency of the Council of the European Union, from January to June 2024 are great occasions to present “THE POWER OF BELGIAN CINEMA” in CINEMA RITCS. “THE POWER OF BELGIAN CINEMA” offers 11 lectures in English by 11 Belgian film scholars on important movements, films, filmmakers in the moving history of Belgian cinema.
Each lecture is followed by a screening of a Belgian film (with English subtitles). The screening is followed by a short Q&A with the film scholar or an invited filmmaker. Harry Kümel (20/2/2024), Roland Lethem (27/2/2024) and Fien Troch (7/5/2024) will be among our special guests.
