42nd Film Fest Gent
OK, it would appear I haven’t posted a lot lately: my previous post was the Film Fest post of last year. A lot has happened since then, but maybe not that much interesting. Let’s just stick to “I’ve been too busy to post here.”
Film Fest Gent 2015
So, a year later… this was our program for this year’s Film Fest.
Wednesday 14 October
The Lobster
In a dystopian near-future state, single people are arrested and transferred to The Hotel, where they are obliged to find a suitable mate within 45 days. If they fail, they will be transformed into the animal of their choosing and sent into The Woods. With ‘The Lobster’ Lanthimos symbolizes the coming of age of the Greek Weird Wave.
Thursday 15 October
Slow West
The story centers on a young man who has travelled from Scotland to Colorado in pursuit of the woman he loves. While travelling, he attracts the attention of an outlaw who is willing to act as his guide. ‘Slow West’ won the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance Film Festival. “Once a member of 90s eccentrics The Beta Band, now a movie director, John Maclean is taking an equally experimental approach to film.” (The Guardian)
Friday 16 October
Problemski Hotel
Inspired by the novel by Dimitri Verhulst, ‘Problemski Hotel’ reveals the changes that occur in the lives of several people born in areas affected by war or armed conflict. The characters find themselves ejected from their daily lives and propelled into the Kafkaesque absurdity of the refugees no-man’s-land.
Saturday 17 October
Eadweard
An intriguing and stylised portrait of the American photographer Eadweard Muybridge, best known for his series of small photographs showing a galloping horse that heralded the era of moving pictures. Kyle Rideout tells the tempestuous life story of the last American to be acquitted of a crime on a verdict of “justifiable homicide”.
Sunday 18 October
Rams
“‘Rams’ is a touching humanist drama set in a remote farming valley where two estranged brothers must come together to save what’s dearest to them: their sheep.” (Variety) ‘Rams’ won the Un Certain Regard Award at Cannes and the Special Jury Award at Transilvania International Film Festival.
El Club
A crisis counselor is sent by the Catholic Church to a small Chilean beach town where disgraced priests and nuns, suspected of crimes ranging from child abuse to baby snatching from unwed mothers, live secluded. ‘The Club’ won the Silver Bear and was nominated for the Golden Bear at the Berlinale. “It’s an original and brilliantly acted chamber drama.” (Variety)
Monday 19 October
Black
A 15-year-old girl from a Brussels gang must choose between loyalty and love when she falls for a Moroccan boy from a rival gang. “El Arbi and Fallah’s film moves forward at an electrifying pace, with furious energy and a gritty realism reminiscent of epic gangster films like ‘City of God’ and ‘Goodfellas’. Ricocheting from moments of extreme tenderness to scenes of extreme violence, ‘Black’ is a full-on, no-holds-barred experience that will resonate long after you’ve left the cinema”. (TIFF)
Tuesday 20 October
Experimenter
In 1961, psychologist Stanley Milgram conducted a series of radical behavior experiments that tested ordinary humans’ willingness to obey authority. “Writer/director Michael Almereyda transmutes the crusty period biopic form into something playful, energetic, and deeply satisfying -taking bold risks to yield profound insights, like all great experiments.” (Sundance Institute)
Wednesday 21 October
Thanatos, Drunk
The camera follows closely on the heels of two brothers – one gay, the other straight. Both are looking for themselves and long to find a foothold in life. “Zui Sheng Meng Si proves once again that young Taiwanese cinema does not have to avail itself of classical storytelling to fascinate its audience.” (Berlinale Film Festival)
Thursday 22 October
Out Of Nature
‘Out of Nature’ has won the Europa Cinemas Label as Best European film in Berlin. “With a wry Scandinavian sense of humor, ‘Out of Nature’ is a well-made and entertaining film about man’s contemporary anxieties and concerns – something of a universal theme today.” (Jury statement Berlin Film Festival)
Friday 23 October
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