MEDIA Programme of the European Union (Belgium): 14

Directed by James Marsh, King of Thieves (2018) is a British heist film that revolves around the infamous Hatton Garden safe deposit burglary of 2015. The main character, Brian Reader, is a retired thief who reunites with old criminal acquaintances at his wife’s funeral. During their brief conversation, they all express interest in carrying out one final heist – targeting the Hatton Garden Safe Deposit. With plans set in motion after the funeral, Brian and his cohorts, all in their 60s and 70s except for one young alarms expert named Basil, gather to meticulously plan their robbery. To minimize the risk of ...

The Neon Demon (2016) is a psychological horror film directed by Nicolas Winding Refn. It opens with Jesse, a beautiful blond teenage girl posing on a love seat for amateur photographer Dean, whom she met online. The shoot offers Dean an opportunity to practice his craft, while also providing Jesse with headshots. Afterward, struggling to remove fake blood makeup, Jesse is approached by makeup artist Ruby who offers assistance. During their conversation, Ruby discovers that Jesse is new in town and this is her first photo shoot. She reveals she is staying at a rundown motel in Pasadena and later invites her to a party. ...

Based on Amélie Nothomb’s 2007 autobiographical novel, Tokyo Fiancée (2014) is a Belgian romance-drama film written and directed by Stefan Liberski. It was selected for the Contemporary World Cinema section at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival. The film received three nominations at the 5th Magritte Awards. After leaving Japan at age five and growing up in Europe, Amélie returns to Japan at age 20 to reconnect with her Japanese roots. She settles into a small apartment in Tokyo and offers French language tutoring as a means of support. One of her students ...

Paolo Sorrentino’s film, The Great Beauty (2013), is a thought-provoking art drama co-written and directed by the Italian filmmaker. It begins with a quote from Louis-Ferdinand Céline’s novel, Journey to the End of the Night, which highlights the power of imagination in travel. The story follows Jep Gambardella, a 65-year-old journalist and theater critic known for his enigmatic charm and love for the vibrant social scene in Rome. He navigates through a city steeped in rich history but defined by its superficial inhabitants, creating a striking ...

Passion (2012) is a film, both written and directed by Brian De Palma. In the movie, Christine is an American advertising executive working in Germany, collaborating with her protégé Isabelle on a new smartphone ad campaign. Despite being involved in a secret affair with Christine’s boyfriend Dirk, Isabelle comes up with a highly successful marketing concept. However, when Christine takes credit for it, Isabelle is disappointed but eventually makes peace with her boss after hearing about the tragic loss of her twin sister. Acting upon Dani’s suggestion, Isabelle shares her own version of the ad online, which ...

The Hunt (2012) is a Danish psychological drama film directed by Thomas Vinterberg and starring Mads Mikkelsen. Lucas, a member of a close-knit rural Danish community, misses his teenage son Marcus, who mostly lives with his ex-wife. However, he has formed strong relationships with the young children at the local kindergarten, where he works since the school at which he taught closed. Things start to look up for Lucas when Marcus expresses a desire to live with him and he starts dating Nadja, a co-worker. One of the children at the kindergarten is Klara, daughter of ...

Directed by Frédéric Jardin, Sleepless Night (2011) is a thrilling French-language action film. Co-written by Jardin and Nicolas Saada, the movie stars Tomer Sisley, Adel Bencherif, Julien Boisselier, Serge Riaboukine, and Pom Klementieff. It premiered at the Toronto International ...

This Must Be the Place (2011), an Italian-French-Irish drama directed and written by Paolo Sorrentino and Umberto Contarello respectively, tells the story of Cheyenne. The former wealthy rock star has been living a mundane and uninspired life in Dublin for the past two decades. His retirement was prompted by the tragic suicides of two of his teenage fans. Seeking some sort of redemption, he makes the journey to New York to make amends with his dying father, only to arrive too late. His justification for not being in contact for 30 years was due to his father’s rejection when he began experimenting with goth ...

Largo Winch II (2011) is a thrilling French film based on the Belgian comic of the same name. Three years prior to his passing, Nerio Winch shares with his bodyguard, Freddy, that he has located his son, Largo, in a village in Burma. He instructs Freddy to follow him closely. Meanwhile, Largo saves villagers from a massacre perpetrated by General Min and his local militia. As he tends to the wounded with his partner Malunai, Frenchman Simon Ovronnaz arrives with survivors in tow. However, when Simon reveals he was hired by someone working for Min, the villagers turn on him and Kadjang suffers severe injuries after a confrontation with Largo. Consequently, Largo is ...

Buried (2010) is an intense survival thriller directed by Rodrigo Cortés. The film follows American civilian Paul Conroy, played by Ryan Reynolds, who finds himself trapped in a wooden coffin with minimal supplies after being ambushed by terrorists while working in Iraq. As he tries to piece together his situation, he realizes he has been kidnapped and is being held for ransom by his captor Jabir. With only a Zippo lighter, pen, and BlackBerry phone at his disposal, Paul desperately tries to contact help but receives no assistance from 911, the FBI, or his employer. Faced ...

The Secret of Kells (2009) is an animated fantasy film set in 9th-century Ireland during the Viking expansion. It follows the story of Brendan, a curious and brave boy living in an Abbey under the watchful eye of his stern uncle, Abbot Cellach. The Abbot’s main concern is protecting the Abbey from Viking attacks by building a wall around it. Brendan is apprenticed in the monastery’s scriptorium where he first hears about Brother Aidan, the renowned creator of the Book of Iona. As he becomes more fascinated with the illuminator and his unfinished masterpiece, Aidan arrives in Kells with his unique white cat, Pangur Bán, after escaping a raid on his ...

The science fiction drama film, Mr. Nobody (2009), written and directed by Jaco Van Dormael, follows the life of Nemo Nobody. As the last mortal on Earth in a world where humans have achieved quasi-immortality, 118-year-old Nemo’s memories are fading. He shares his life story with a doctor and journalist, discussing his three main loves and the impact of his parents’ divorce on his journey. Throughout the film, the speculative narrative explores alternate life paths resulting from different decisions made by Nemo at ages nine, fifteen, and thirty-four. With a nonlinear structure incorporating the multiverse ...

The autobiography film, Goodbye Bafana (2007), was based on the book Goodbye Bafana: Nelson Mandela, My Prisoner, My Friend, which was criticized by Anthony Sampson, a longtime friend of Nelson Mandela who has since passed away. In his authorized biography of Mandela, Sampson accused James Gregory (also deceased) of lying and violating Mandela’s privacy in his work. According to Sampson, Gregory did not have a close relationship with Mandela and instead used censored letters to fabricate one. Other prison ...

The period thriller, Perfume: The Story of a Murderer (2006), follows the life of notorious murderer Jean-Baptiste Grenouille. Directed by Tom Tykwer and written in collaboration with Andrew Birkin and Bernd Eichinger, the film is based on Patrick Süskind’s novel of the same name. Grenouille’s story is told through flashbacks, beginning with his sentencing for his crimes. Abandoned at birth in a French fish market ...