29/09/2021 - For this almost post-COVID edition, the event is full of prestigious previews and offers a jam-packed Belgian programme

The Film Fest Gent is back in top form for its 48th edition with a rich programme of Belgian and international premieres from 12 to 23 October.

Ghent audiences will be able to discover a plethora of highly anticipated films such as Leos Carax's Annette [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile], Wes Anderson's The French Dispatch [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile], Pablo Larrain's Spencer [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile], Pedro Almodovar's Parallel Mothers [+see also:
film review
trailer
making of
film profile], Ridley Scott's The Last Duel [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] or the new Jacques Audiard (Paris, 13th District [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile]), Bruno Dumont (France [+see also:
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interview: Bruno Dumont
film profile]) or Gaspar Noé (Vortex [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile]), all of which were discovered in Cannes or Venice.

The latter will be in the Official Competition with his film. Facing him are 14 serious competitors, including two Belgian films with very different profiles: Inexorable [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Fabrice Du Welz
film profile], the new film by Fabrice Du Welz, a declaration of love to film noir as much as to erotic thrillers, which has just been to the Toronto Film Festival, and Playground [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Laura Wandel
film profile], the first feature film as delicate as it is powerful by Laura Wandel, winner of the FIPRESCI Prize at the Certain Regard in Cannes last July.

Also in Competition will be the Italian film A Chiara [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Jonas Carpignano
film profile] by Jonas Carpigano, Label Europa Cinemas at the recent Directors' Fortnight in Cannes, the Swiss film The Girl and the Spider [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Ramon Zürcher and Silvan Zü…
film profile] by brothers Ramon and Silvan Zürcher, the Norwegian film The Worst Person in the World [+see also:
film review
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interview: Joachim Trier
film profile] by Joachim Trier (the romantic comedy of the Cannes festival, starring the extraordinary Renate Reinsve, winner of the Interpretation Prize), but also two Georgian films, Wet Sand [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Elene Naveriani
film profile] by Elene Naveriani, a co-production with Switzerland, and What Do We See When We Look at the Sky? [+see also:
film review
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interview: Alexandre Koberidze
film profile] by Alexandre Koberidze, co-produced with Germany.

Also in Competition is the Greek film Apples [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Christos Nikou
film profile] by Christos Nikou, which opened the Orizzonti section in Venice last year, as well as two Spanish-language films co-produced in Belgium, Libertad [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Clara Roquet
film profile] by the Spaniard Clara Roquet and Clara Sola [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Nathalie Álvarez Mesén
film profile] by the Swedish-Costa Rican Nathalie Alvarez Mesen. There is also the new film by the great Thai filmmaker Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Memoria [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile], which won the Jury Prize at Cannes and was recently selected by Colombia for the Oscars, Captain Volkonogov Escaped [+see also:
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film profile] by Russians Natasha Merkulova and Aleksey Chupov, and Faya Dayi by Jessica Beshir, the co-production between the United States, Ethiopia and Qatar which won the last Visions du Réel Festival.

Finally, the rich programme includes many previews of highly anticipated Belgian films: Teodora Ana Mihai's La Civil [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Teodora Ana Mihai
film profile], discovered at Cannes, will open the festival; Animals [+see also:
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trailer
interview: Nabil Ben Yadir
film profile], Nabil Ben Yadir's new film, which promises to be radical; The Hive [+see also:
film review
interview: Christophe Hermans
film profile], Christophe Hermans' first feature film with an all-female cast full of revelations (alongside Ludivine Sagnier, we find young Belgian actresses Sophie Breyer and Mara Taquin, as well as Bonnie Duvauchelle); SpaceBoy [+see also:
film review
interview: Olivier Pairoux
film profile] by Olivier Pairoux, a family film in French that is both pop and nostalgic, a small UFO in the landscape of French-speaking Belgian cinema; as well as two first Flemish films with very particular universes, Dealer [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] by Jeroen Perceval and Cool Abdoul by Jonas Baeckeland.

(Translated from French by Manuela Lazic)