2023 Doc route: Belgium Doc route: Belgium
Belgian documentary ingeniously works at demolishing the statues that mark the territories of our memories, exploding the frontiers between film genres, exploring also the forms that relate the insubordination of thought. Refusing the tedium of clearly marked roadways, it lays down the vanishing point in the Flemish and Wallon audiovisual landscapes, with the aid, notably, of workshops devoted to production, reception and education, and autonomous production and distribution networks founded by artists collectives.
Conceived by Jean-Claude Batz, a visionary producer decided to take on Hollywood, at the end of the seventies, with an aim to building an economic base, the workshops were inspired by the attention the American studios pay to the stages of writing and developing films. The idea was to create spaces where filmmakers could test the possibilities of their cinema. “Raise the demand for quality and work only on important films, ready to flood the international markets. Encourage debate and effervescence, innovation and provocation by favouring projects that contribute to the renewal of genres, not only on the formal level of language and style, but above all on the fundamental level of the subject matter, of being open to new topics and cultivating the freedom to move away from the stereotypes that dominate their treatment.” Government bodies gave them a framework and film professionals invested them to make them vital and flexible spaces in the service of the art. The workshops also became, over the years, the most important support mechanism for filmmakers grappling with reality, via (co)production, the lending of equipment or the distribution of films. In spite of their limited financial resources, it is impossible today (or in any case rare) to explore the paths of documentary filmmaking in francophone Belgium without stopping by one of these craft communities. Dominique Lohlé (Rage, codirected with Guy-Marc Hinant) was a pillar of the AJC (Atelier Jeune Cinéma) at the end of the nineties, Effi and Amir (By The Throat) worked with CVB (Centre Vidéo de Bruxelles) for their first films, Gsara accompanied those of Rosine Mbakam (Les Prières de Delphine) or Sarah Vanagt (Divinations). Maxime Jean-Baptiste (Moune Ô) received his training at SIC (Sound Image Culture) and was coproduced for his most recent film by Graphoui. Other production workshops such as Dérives, founded by the Dardenne brothers and currently directed by Julie Frère are also committed to working with emerging filmmakers. Last but not least, the welcoming structures at CBA (Audiovisual Centre of Bruxelles) and WIP (Wallonie Image Production at Liège) give complementary accompaniment to the creative work of filmmakers. The films of Khristine Gillard (Les Minuscules), for example, are coproduced by the CBA.
This desire to experiment, the determination to propose new forms and ways of producing, and to revisit film material has its counterpart on the Flemish side thanks to dynamism of artistic collectives. In constant dialogue with the academic sector – the KASK at Ghent in particular – these independent organisations are places of research and reflection on hybrid artistic practices and the tools of film. They are often also structures for the production and distribution of films by those who work within them, such as the elephy platforms, created by Rebecca Jane Arthur (Hit Him on the Head with a Hard, Heavy Hammer) and Eva Giolo (Flowers Blooming in Our Throats) with two other artists, or Jubilee, of which Vincent Meessen (Juste un mouvement) is a member. They also have complementary functions like the film review Sabzian in which Hannes Verhoustraete (Vue brisée) is a collaborator. Or argos, a Brussels-based audiovisual centre involved in the distribution of numerous films produced by different artists’ collectives. Over recent years, this active network of diverse structures has developed spaces to share their work, stimulate the circulation of reflection and experience among the different communities of Flanders and Brussels.
Plunging into the world of Belgian documentary means discovering a complex landscape of film practices, but also leaving it behind to allow oneself to be carried by the intuitions of these filmmakers. Their determination, in particular, not to be fooled and to turn our eyes in the direction of new stories.
Pauline David
A programme by Pauline David (programmer and director of the Festival En ville !, Brussels) and Christophe Postic.
In the presence of Pauline David, Christophe Postic, Rebecca Jane Arthur, Khristine Gillard, Sarah Vanagt (to be confirmed) and Hannes Verhoustraete.