The Brussels International Film Festival (BRIFF) barely had the time to get set for two editions at the end of June than the Covid crisis forced it to bump its dates to the end of the summer. The team behind this 4th edition are nonetheless ready and raring to go, with the aim of helping national and international film to shine in the heart of the European capital, and of bringing a changing world to the big screen.

In fact, a world which needs to change seems to be the leitmotiv of the 10 films selected for the International Competition, films discovered in a variety of festivals, from Cannes to Berlin, by way of San Sebastian, and including the European titles Limbo [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Ben Sharrock
scheda film] by Ben Sharrock (UK), The World After Us [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Louda Ben Salah-Cazanas
scheda film] by Louda Ben Salah-Cazanas (France), Quo Vadis, Aida? [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Jasmila Žbanić
scheda film] by Jasmila Zbanic (Bosnia-Herzegovina/Austria/Romania/the Netherlands/Germany/Poland/France/Norway/Turkey), Moneyboys [+leggi anche:
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intervista: C.B. Yi
scheda film] by C.B. Yi (Austria/France/Taiwan/Belgium), Love Songs for Tough Guys [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Samuel Benchetrit
scheda film] by Samuel Benchetrit (France/Belgium), H6 [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Yé Yé
scheda film] by Yé Yé (France) and Olga [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Elie Grappe
scheda film] by Elie Grappe (Switzerland/Ukraine/France), not to mention the co-production New Order [+leggi anche:
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scheda film] by Michel Franco (Mexico/France), and the non-European films The Dog Who Wouldn’t Be Quiet by Ana Katz (Argentina) and Ripples of Life by Shujun Wei (China).

Opened by Mathieu Amalric's Cannes-selected Hold Me Tight [+leggi anche:
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scheda film], the BRIFF is also committed to shining a light on Belgian film, offering up 9 unseen films in the National Competition, which will then be subject to the scrutiny of a jury of international broadcasters. These premières consist of Serge Mirzabekiantz’s first feature film Le Coeur Noir des Forêts [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Serge Mirzabekiantz
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intervista: Fred De Loof
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intervista: Claude Schmitz
scheda film] and the documentaries Chasser les dragons by Alexandra Kandy Longuet, Phèdre ou l’explosion des corps confinés by Méryl Fortunat-Rossi and Nous tous by Pierre Pirard. Becoming Mona [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Sabine Lubbe Bakker e Niel…
scheda film] by Sabine Lubbe Bakker & Niels Van Koevorden, and Family by Milo Rau will round off this line-up.

The festival will present once again this year the Directors’ Week line-up, in collaboration with the Association of French-Speaking Directors (ARRF), showcasing 8 titles, among which the Belgian film presented at the Sundance Film Festival Mother Schmuckers [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Harpo e Lenny Guit
scheda film] by brothers Lenny and Harpo Guit, Berlinale-sourced works Azor [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Andreas Fontana
scheda film] by Andreas Fontana and Celts [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Milica Tomovic
scheda film] by Milica Tomovic, and the movie recently unveiled in Cannes Women Do Cry [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Mina Mileva, Vesela Kazakova
scheda film] by the Bulgarian duo Mina Mileva and Vesela Kazakova.

In addition to festive events organised for the general public - in particular open-air screenings at the magnificent Mont des Arts - BRIFF is also arranging numerous professional gatherings, such as the 4th Brussels Co-Production Forum (see our article), Screenwriter’s Day and PITCH, which offers training in the art of pitching to authors with projects currently in development, as well as an opportunity to present their films to an audience of professionals.

The festival will be ready and raring to go in Brussels from 1 to 11 September.