Country Focus: Belgium
by Cineuropa
18/05/2010 - Articles, interviews, news, analysis on the Belgian audiovisual sector.
Country profile: Belgium
International Film Guide 2012: Belgium
A survey of the film culture and output in Belgium published by the International Film Guide.
Belgium to make most of EU presidency to support European audiovisual sector
A conference on support for the audiovisual sector in Europe was organised at the start of this week as part of the Belgian Presidency of the EU Council. An ambivalent sector which falls within the orbit of both culture and economics, the audiovisual industry raises the issue of state aids, which are normally incompatible with European law. Indeed, two special dispensations are generally invoked: one economic, the other cultural. These special dispensations, as well as the usual texts and...
Decisive step forward for new film decree
The European Commission has finally greenlighted the draft bill of the Film Decree drawn up by the Belgian French-Community Minister of Culture and Audiovisual Policy, Fadila Laanan. Since the bill’s submission in December 2008, professionals had been wondering when it would actually be introduced, especially as the European Commission seemed circumspect about certain points. The politico-legislative marathon is not over yet, for the Decree still has to be approved by the State Council, the...
Belgium - International Film Guide Survey 2010
A survey of the film culture and output in Belgium published by the International Film Guide.
The other Belgian cinema
The rediscovered pride in Belgian Flemish cinema stems from Flemish audiences’ extraordinary declaration of love for their cinema but these excellent results can also be explained by the diversity of Flemish cinema today.
Wallimage/Bruxellimage’s third session
Investment fund Wallimage/Bruxellimage’s third session took place at the end of February. Financed in equal parts by the Walloon and Brussels regions, this investment fund supplements financing of productions that will involve substantial expenditure, that is to say at least €100,000, in each of the above-mentioned regions. Like most regional support funds, this system has in the past helped to significantly develop the Walloon audiovisual industry, and is now expected to boost the Brussels...
Benelux takes on Disney giant
It’s the story of the week: an army of European exhibitors have threatened to rebel against Uncle Sam, by deciding to boycott Disney's new work, the much-awaited Alice in Wonderland, which marks the return to the fold of Tim Burton, who left the company in 1984. Exhibitors’ bold and somewhat suicidal decision comes from what some have feared for months, namely the shake-up of distribution windows, without consultation or prior agreement. Backed by vague or even non-existent legislation in...
Flemish cinema enjoys remarkably stable audience figures
While the year 2008 ended triumphantly with the runaway success of Erik Van Looy and Bart De Pauw’s Loft (900,000 viewers in 2008), the odds were that 2009 would compare unfavourably, and figures would fall. However, observers have remarked that if it hadn’t been for the exceptionally bad weather at the end of last year, the 2m admissions mark could have been crossed. This is all the more surprising as 2009’s Flemish releases didn’t include a major blockbuster like Loft. Unlike the previous...
Francophone Development Fund established
In recent years, partners from different Francophone film centres have introduced common initiatives that aim to develop and encourage collaborations between Francophone countries. Faced with globalised film consumption, and the omnipresence of US cinema, the French-speaking world is fighting for cultural diversity in general, and better visibility of Francophone films in particular. Encouraged by the French example, smaller Francophone countries (Belgium, Switzerland, Luxembourg and even...
Wallimage/Bruxellimage announces first results
The much-awaited results of the first Wallimage/Bruxellimage session have just been announced. There are no great surprises, for the commission has honoured its commitments by supporting both Brussels and Flemish works, as well as a documentary. Among the well-known names is Marion Hänsel, who will receive funding for her new film, Noir Océan (“Black Ocean”). It depicts the daily life and internal struggles of a crew on board a French naval ship in 1974, who were involved in nuclear tests...
Banking crisis affects Tax Shelter financing
On Monday, ING bank, a subsidiary of international group ING, ceased all its Tax Shelter activities. It was, however, the first major Belgian bank to offer its services as part of the Tax Shelter system, and was also the Belgian bank least affected by last summer’s financial crisis. The bank, which is proud to have supported almost 60 Belgian productions since the creation of the system in 2007, has announced that, as part of its “back-to-basics” strategy, it prefers to refocus on its...
CCA announces results of first 2009 session
The Film Selection Committee of the Film and Audiovisual Centre (CCA) has just announced the results of its first 2009 session. Sixteen features have been selected for writing, production and completion grants, for an overall budget of €2,030,000. There was surprise success for newcomer Sumeya Kokten, who received two grants, one for the completion of her debut film Sens Interdits (“Wrong Way”), the other for writing Cercle Vicieux (“Vicious Circle”). The director’s self-produced feature,...
Vlaams Audiovisual Fund presents 2008 report
The Vlaams Audiovisual Fund has just presented its 2008 activities report. The year 2008 was of course marked by the outstanding box office success enjoyed by Flemish films. Erik Van Looy’s Loft smashed records by attracting 912,000 viewers (it then went on to exceed the 1m threshold, becoming the biggest Belgian hit of all time). In 2008, Flemish films drew almost 2m cinemagoers (representing an increase of 70%) and accounted for 10% of total admissions in Belgium. This popular success was...
Belgium - International Film Guide Survey
In the past 18 months, Belgian cinema has been thriving like never before. Audience attendance for local films (especially Dutch-language releases) has grown considerably, with more films produced. Even on a film-policy level there was good news to be heard. Flemish public funding for cinema would increase and fresh money was found for combined TV/cinema projects. Read the survey published by the International Film Guide: Survey - Belgium
2008 sees box office split
Erik Van Looy’s Loft has now exceeded the 1m admissions mark, a major achievement in Belgium. The last Belgian title to surpass 1m admissions was Koko Flanel in 1990, a bygone era when the serious competition from DVDs and legal and illegal downloads was still just a bad dream. It is now probable that Loft will outstrip the 1,082,000 viewers attracted by its predecessor, especially as the film still ranked third at the Flemish box office last weekend. However, Belgian exhibitors are doing...
Belgium - Wallimage, regionalisation and internationalisation of Belgian cinema (March 2005)
Regionalisation and internationalisation of Belgian cinema In Belgium- a country gathering three linguistic communities- the government of the Walloon Region and its Ministry of Economy decided to create in 2001 Wallimage, the institution in charge of regional fund investment for audiovisuals in the Walloon Region. Belgian film production –mainly based on major or minor co-productions with countries such as France, Luxemburg or the Netherlands, mainly supported by the French Community Cinema...
Belgium 2005 - Flemish Film and TV Fund
The Flemish Film and TV Fund : independence and flexibility! To help the film industry of the Dutch-speaking part of Belgium gather momentum (for films are well distributed but only in half of Belgium and the Netherlands), the Flemish government recently (2002) decided to create an independant structure rather than have a cinema section within the Culture Department, as had been the case for many years. It is difficult to determine what the challenge is for Flemish films, since they cannot...
Belgium incentive policies (published in March 2005)
Silence, Belgium is shooting! Belgium, this small patchwork of a country, has been present on the international cinema scene for a few years now. Is this only the result of good circumstances ? By no means. This progression owes not only to the talented filmmakers and actors, the skilful technicians and producers, but it also owes much to the public authorities. For thirty years, they have been very committed to initiating incentive policies, and this humble work on the infrastructures has...
Belgium, the Belgian Cannes selection (May 2003)
