14/02/2014 - The new film by Benoît Mariage, starring Benoît Poelvoorde, attracted a 35,000-strong audience in its opening week – a hugely successful start for Bardafeu

It is no secret that the French-language Belgian cinema industry struggles to rally its domestic audiences. For several years a great deal of effort has been expended to try to put this right, particularly by working on the image and perception of French-language Belgian films among the French-speaking Belgians themselves. However, the fact remains that these movies still find it very difficult to attract an audience, and the results are often disappointing. That is why the flying start experienced by Scouting for Zebras [+see also:
trailer
film profile], the new film by Benoît Mariage and starring Benoît Poelvoorde, is big news.

The film took 35,000 admissions in its opening week and, most importantly, continued to be shown in almost all of its 43 theatres during its second week (a very ambitious plan for Wallonia). The movie may be expected to eventually take close to 70,000 admissions in a “worst-case” scenario or 100,000 at best, just like Ernest & Célestine [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Benjamin Renner, Vincent Pa…
film profile] recently managed to do - or it could reach even dizzier heights akin to the 135,000 admissions sold for Les Barons [+see also:
film review
trailer
Interview with director and actress of…
interview: Nabil Ben Yadir
film profile]. It was Bardafeu, the brand-new distribution company, that found the recipe for success, for example by organising big preview screenings and by relying on one of the “characters” in the film, the Royal Charleroi Sporting Club. A sister company of MG Productions, Bardafeu was created out of the producers’ desire to support their films themselves. That is of course a profession in itself, but it is also a way of re-envisioning the producer’s job by recreating the direct link with the exhibitors and the audiences. MG Productions (Viva Riva! [+see also:
trailer
film profile] by Djo Munga and The World Belongs to Us [+see also:
trailer
interview: Stephan Streker
film profile] by Stefan Streker) supports author movies with popular roots, and Bardafeu wants to take its time developing a hand-picked selection of purchases in this same spirit. MG is helping with Benoît Mariage’s next project, which is currently being written, and has provided funding for the next film by Stefan Streker, Noces. The bridge with Africa, which was built by Viva Riva! and Scouting for Zebras, is still very much open, as the firm is currently working on an adaptation of Mathématiques Congolaises by In Koli Jean Bofane. 

(Translated from French)