20/12/2006

December features two successful Belgian titles. First up, in its third week of release, is the new film by Guido Henderickx, Koning Van De Wereld [+see also:
trailer
film profile], starring a Flemish cast (Kevin Janssens, Jan Decleir and Koen de Bouw) and distributed by Kinepolis Film Distribution on 16 screens.

The Caviar Films production – backed by the Vlaams Audiovisueel Fonds (VAF) and television channel VTM – is a tale of the adventures of a boxer during WWII and was still in the Top 20 this weekend.

In tenth position is family film Plop In De Stad [+see also:
trailer
film profile] by Matthias Temmermans. The third successful sequel of adventures of the famous dwarf Plop was produced by Studio 100 (see news) and released by Belga Film last week on 32 screens. The title is expected to continue its trail of success over the Christmas period.

As every month, a troop of French films are invading Belgian screens, including Je pense à vous [+see also:
trailer
film profile] (lit. “I Am Thinking of You”), Blame it on Fidel [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile], Franklin and Granny’s Secret, Roschdy Zem’s Bad Faith [+see also:
trailer
film profile] (Belga Film, 31 screens), Madame Irma [+see also:
trailer
film profile] by Didier Bourdon and Yves Fajnberg (Victory Films, 26 screens) and Pierre Salvadori’s French comedy Priceless [+see also:
trailer
film profile] (Paradiso, 11 screens), which was in seventh place in this weekend’s Top 20.

In Belgium, as in France (see news), Arthur and the Invisibles [+see also:
trailer
film profile] (dist. UIP) is making a sensational start in fourth position after five days on 70 screens and box office takings of €423,195.

The biggest gift this Christmas could go to Les films de l'Elysée, who are handling two alluring productions: Family Hero [+see also:
trailer
film profile] by Thierry Klifa, starring a top-notch cast, and Patrice Leconte’s latest film, My Best Friend [+see also:
trailer
film profile], which opens next week.

European titles also feature in the DIAGONALE line-up (see news). The new network tested its new programme with last week’s release of Aki Kaurismaki’s Lights in the Dusk [+see also:
trailer
film profile].

December’s programme opened with Esma’s Secret [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Barbara Albert
interview: Jasmila Zbanic
film profile] by Jasmila Zbanic (see Focus) and Hans-Christian Schmid’s charming Requiem [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Hans-Christian Schmid
interview: Hans-Christian Schmid
interview: Sandra Hueller
film profile] (see Focus), released through Cinéart last week, while another German film is lined up for the holidays, Eden by Michael Hofman (see interview, dist. Abc Distribution).

Three other European releases complete the round-up: Heiki Ernist and Janno Poldma’s Estonian animated title Kerst bij de lieveheersbeestjes (dist. Jekino), released this week along with Kenneth Branagh’s UK production The Magic Flute [+see also:
trailer
film profile] and Dutch title Afblijven by Maria Peters, a teenage film produced by Kinepolis, also to be released by the outfit next week.

Aside from a magnificent Egyptian film, The Yacoubian Building by Marwad Hamed, December’s releases will be a US (11 new releases in total) and European affair (18 films, half of which are French).

(Translated from French)