The curtains have closed on yet another edition of the Brussels Independent Film Festival. Spanning seven days, the festival showcased a total of 72 feature and short films hailing from 32 countries, nestled in the heart of Brussels at Cinema Aventure.
Reflecting on the recent edition of the Brussels Independent Film Festival, Kris De Meester, the Festival director, finds himself navigating a spectrum of emotions. “At the Brussels Independent Film Festival, we strive to remain as far removed from politics as possible, staying true to the spirit of independent cinema. Yet, some tragedies are so profound that they transcend politics altogether. This year, that was undeniable with “Porcelain War”, the Oscar-nominated documentary about people fighting to hold onto their humanity amid the war in Ukraine. As our opening film, it set an unforgettable tone—so much so that we had to add a second screening due to overwhelming demand. The emotions in the room were palpable, a shared experience of beautiful sorrow that reminded us why cinema exists in the first place.”
Eleven exceptional films were bestowed with edible awards, crafted from Belgian chocolate by the esteemed chocolatier Vandenbouhede. Handpicked by the jury panel, the following films emerged as this year's winners:
Best Narrative Feature Film
The Accident (Italy) by Giuseppe Garau
Best Documentary Feature Film
Porcelain War (United States) by Brendan Bellomo, Slava Leontyev
Best Experimental Film
Searching for the 5th Direction (Switzerland) by Matthias Schüpbach
Best Narrative Short Film
Nøkkelbarn (Norway) by Sindre Mangen Haram
Best Documentary Short Film
I Kiss Your Hand, Madame (Hungary, Belgium, Portugal, Philippines) by Jeremy Luke Bolatag
Best Animated Film
Tennis, Oranges (United States) by Sean Pecknold
Best Music Video
Shake Stew - Lila (Austria) by Rupert Höller
Best Belgian Documentary Film
Thank God for The Gift (Belgium) by Luc Vrydaghs
Best Belgian Narrative Film
Peipei (Belgium) by Shile Feng
Best Underground Film
Emilia (Poland) by Dawid Wojtysiak
Best Artist Film
The Other Side of Despair (Switzerland) by Varsy Buchmann
Congratulations to all!
Last but not least, the Brussels Independent Film Festival wishes to say a special thank you to Cinema Aventure, chocolatier Vandenbouhede, The Bigger Screen, The Tarkovski Grant, Final Cut Magazine, Connecting Cultures Program, TreePlan.org, and Whush, for their contributions in creating this wonderful event.
ABOUT THE BRUSSELS INDEPENDENT FILM FESTIVAL
The Brussels Independent Film Festival found its inspiration with the Brussels International Independent Film Festival, which started in 1974 but ended in 2012. The festival focused on experimental, provocative films and hosted many noteworthy filmmakers, such as Pedro Almodóvar, François Ozon, and Nanni Moretti amongst others. Inspired by that original movement, the revived Brussels Independent Film Festival continues to emphasize lesser known, vanguard cinematic works and further its tradition of galvanizing budding talent. Most importantly, the Brussels Independent Film Festival creates a space for unique visionaries and voices. True to its history, the festival screens films of both novices and veterans —with medium and low budgets— from all over the globe. The festival’s goal is to create a warm, open atmosphere in which filmmakers, fans, critics, and producers can watch the films of emerging talents, explore new cinematic techniques and styles, and award cinematic excellence.
