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OSCARS 2017 Belgium

The Ardennes to represent Belgium at the Oscars

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- The film noir set against a backdrop of brotherly rivalry, starring Veerle Baetens, Kevin Janssens and Jeroen Perceval, is the feature debut by Flemish director Robin Pront

The Ardennes to represent Belgium at the Oscars
Kevin Janssens and Veerle Baetens in The Ardennes

The film noir The Ardennes [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Robin Pront
film profile
]
, the feature debut by Flemish director Robin Pront, will represent Belgium at the upcoming Oscars.

Following a botched burglary, Dave flees, leaving his brother Kenneth grappling with the forces of law and order. When Kenneth is released from prison, he is intent on finding his brother, in order to get back down to business, and his girlfriend, to pick up their relationship where they left off. Dave, who is trying to get back on the straight and narrow at all costs, desperately tries to drag his brother along with him. But their old demons are hard to vanquish, and their rivalry will come to a head, being resolved through pain and blood.

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The Ardennes, starring Veerle Baetens, Kevin Janssens and Jeroen Perceval, was presented last year as a world premiere at Toronto, before opening the Film Fest Gent and being screened at a raft of other gatherings. The film has been sold by Attraction Distribution (Canada) to the Netherlands, Sweden, France, Italy, the UK and the USA, where distributor Film Movement will bring the movie out at the end of the year. The remake rights have already been granted to the USA, and negotiations are under way with Korea. Last week, The Ardennes was included in the shortlist of the 50 European films selected for the European Film Awards.

Bart Van Langendonck, of Savage Film, which produced The Ardennes, is all too familiar with the intricacies of the Oscars race, as he also accompanied Bullhead [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Bart Van Langendonck
interview: Michaël R. Roskam
film profile
]
, which was nominated in 2012. If The Ardennes manages to land a nomination, it will give Veerle Baetens the chance to tread the red carpet for the second time, following The Broken Circle Breakdown [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Felix van Groeningen
interview: Felix Van Groeningen
interview: Felix Van Groeningen
film profile
]
’s nomination in 2014. The Ardennes is a Savage Film production, in co-production with Eyeworks and the Netherlands’ PRPL/Bastide Films, and it was supported by the Flanders Audiovisual Fund and Screen Flanders.

Last year, it was Jaco Van Dormael’s The Brand New Testament [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Jaco van Dormael
film profile
]
that was chosen to represent Belgium at the Oscars. The next stage for The Ardennes is the announcement of the nine finalists for the trophy at the end of December, followed by the unveiling of the Oscar nominations on 24 January.

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(Translated from French)

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