Ana, 24 years old, leaves the film set she didn’t feel right on and returns to Strasbourg where she lived as a teen. Her self-imposed mission is to exchange her grandmother’s bathtub for a walk-in shower, more suited to her high age.
If this pitch seems rather odd, that is because it is. However, Seul comme une baignoire (Baden Baden) is a joyous project reminiscent of Mobile Home (another Tarantula production) while also openly being inspired by the American independent film industry.
It is also the third part of a triptych; director Rachel Lang started it with two award-winning short films. Her female lead, Salomé Richard, also played in Pour toi je ferai bataille and in Les Navets blancs empêchent de dormer. Filming took place this summer and now the project is in the post-production phase.
Missing Paper, presented by Alain Berliner, is a project from Italy where it originated with director and producer Renzo Martinelli, known for his Five Moons Square. This erudite and curious man is fascinated by political manipulation and conducted several years of research on the crash of an Italian commercial flight, which would, according to him, have exploded following a collision with an American fighter jet. His in Italy very popular theory is turned into a thriller and like his previous films, it questions the results of the “official inquiry”, which don’t satisfy many people. Lubna Azabal will play a key role, several Belgian technicians will work on the film set and the post-production will partially take place at Dame Blanche Genval and the Pôle Image de Liège (Mikros).
The third fiction film selected by the board of directors is a much awaited film : Noces is the third film for Stephan Streker (photo) after the experimental Michael Blanco and the esthetical Le Monde nous appartient. Daylight (Michael Goldberg and Boris Van Gils) produces this drama with a remarkable screenplay. Thanks to its subject and the promises it includes, this film could give the filmmaker from Brussels an enviable international reputation. To be continued.
Archibelge is a documentary split up in three 52 minute episodes and one single feature length film. It is a fascinating exploration of Belgian architecture through three of its most bizarre manifestations: the urbanization in Brussels, the strange Walloon penchant for building aside major roads and the no less particular and for many horrible transformation of the Belgian coast into concrete. Three chapters, three approaches, three time periods, three ways of grasping a complex country. Through architecture, the screenplay writers offer an incredible sociological analysis of Belgium which amuses, intrigues and captivates. The project is produced by Playtime and Offworld, already responsible for the series Red Star Line, one of the documentary successes of the last few years.
Also for television, but in the shape of a single television film for TF1 is L’Emprise : a first for Wallimage and Bruxellimage. Co-produced in Belgium by Scope, a good share of expenses has been brought to our region. This poignant drama, constructed around a real process, unrelentingly confronts us with the daily life of a woman beaten by her “oh so nice” husband. L’Emprise falls in with a film such as Ce soir, j’ai tué l’assassin de mon films, high quality fiction with great actors, rewarded with a high viewing rates. Pierre Mertens works on the film as sound engineer, and the décor is handled by Noëlle Van Parijs. Filming ended on Friday, Odile Vuillemin (Profilage), Fred Testot and Marc Lavoine are the main actors.
The final submission picked by the board of directors during the first investment round of the 2014-2015 season is La Trève, a series of ten episodes produced by Helicotronc within the framework of a call for offers launched by the RTBF and the Federation Wallonia-Brussels. The financing by the regional funds is dependent on a firm engagement by both institutions.
A thriller detailing a criminal investigation, La Trève is also the story of an unbalanced man : Yoann Peeters, a cop with undisputable flair but with a shady past and an uncertain future. The authors reveal to be inspired by Broadchurch and True Detective. We can add The Killing when it comes to the screenplay and the atmosphere. The story was written by a promising trio consisting of Stéphane Bergmans, Benjamin D’Aoust and Matthieu Donc (Torpedo), who will also contribute to directing with a 100% Belgian cast, including known actors such as Yoann Blanc, Guillaume Kerbusch and Catherine Salée.
