The fiftieth edition of Film Fest Gent looks more dynamic than ever: feature-length films to attract moviegoers from all over the world, a 2×25 shorts program that brings together composers and directors, a first virtual reality installation and a special focus on music in video games.
In this anniversary year, Film Fest Gent also presents a major world premiere: Gift, Ryûsuke Hamaguchi‘s latest film, will be screened in Ghent with a score performed live by his regular composer, Eiko Ishibashi. The festival will also welcome film personalities Ken Loach, Ryûsuke Hamaguchi, Molly Manning Walker, Talia Ryder, Anne Dorval and Matteo Garrone.
Fien Troch‘s Holly will open the anniversary edition of Film Fest Gent, a highlight in Fien Troch’s career at the festival – all his feature-length films have previously premiered here. According to the festival’s artistic director, Wim De Witte, the choice of Holly as the opening film is “a mutual gift”. It’s also a triple for Belgian cinema, as Holly is the third Belgian film to open the festival, following Teodora Ana Mihai‘s La Civil in 2021 and Lukas Dhont‘s Close in 2022.
Holly was recently well received at the Venice Film Festival. It’s not the only one to come from Venice, as it’s joined by Michael Mann’s Ferrari, Matteo Garrone‘s Io Capitano, which won the Silver Lion for Best Director, and Yorgos Lanthimos‘ Poor Things, winner of the Golden Lion.
Wim De Witte, his co-programmer Michiel Philippaerts, and the selection committee chose 113 features, three series and 44 shorts from over 1,200 submissions and some 120 films already seen in the selections of major festivals such as Berlin, Cannes, Locarno, Toronto and Telluride.
For this fiftieth edition, Film Fest Gent is abandoning its traditional focus on a particular country. “It’s a conscious choice,” say Wim De Witte and Michiel Philippaerts. “Abandoning the country focus opens up new horizons.”
Discover the complete program here.
Gent, a city on a human scale (everything can be visited on foot) and at the same time very close to the capital (only half an hour by train from Brussels), welcoming, lively, young (thousands of students) and multicultural (Flemish, English and often French are spoken here), with numerous tourist sites, impressive historical monuments and charming places to visit, is the ideal place for an international festival. A city that offers a fascinating cultural cocktail characterized by a rich history, thriving culture and trendy urban life. At sunset, daylight gives way not only to artificial light, but also to luminous works of art. At dusk, streets, squares and buildings take on an artistic lighting and atmosphere. Ghent is a city that breathes art!
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