A linguistic dichotomy

22/02/2006

Cinéart-Cinélibre released two films this week: Congo River [+see also:
trailer
film profile], the documentary from Belgium's Thierry Michel, in six cinemas, following its recent screening at the Berlin Forum; and French adventure film Zaina, cavalière de l'Atlas (lit. "Zaina, Atlas' cavalier"), by Bourlem Gherdjou, a French/German/Moroccan co-production, which was distributed on nine screens.

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These two titles will only be distributed in the French-speaking part of Belgium where two other European productions coming out this week will only be seen in the Flemish part of the country: Cirkelientje 3: Grote kleine muis, a Danish animated film by Jannik Hastrup, released by Lumière on six screens, and Knetter [+see also:
trailer
film profile] from Dutch director of the moment, Martin Koolhoven, which Jekino is releasing on 19 screens.

The only exception to this cultural dichotomy is the second episode of the adventures of the Little Polar Bear, The Little Polar Bear 2 - The Mysterious Island [+see also:
trailer
film profile], the animated children's film by Flemish director Piet De Rycker (see interview) and Germany's Thilo Graf Rothkirch, a German production that Warner Bros Belgium is bringing to 16 screens.

There are six American films this week and a Japanese title, available on screens throughout the entire country.

Even though distribution in Belgium is not always so divided, there are doubts over this recurring strategy, which makes films inaccessible in one part of the country and not the other. Are distributors affected by the overly rapid rotation of prints and the regular avalanche of films on screens? While there were a total of eight releases last week among them three French films (Sophie Fillières' Gentille, Kim Chapiron's Sheitan [+see also:
trailer
film profile] and Toute la beauté du monde [+see also:
trailer
film profile] (lit. "All the Beauty of the World") by Marc Esposito) it must be said that this week has witnessed a veritable crush, with twelve new films being released elbow to elbow.