28/09/2015 - The Film Fest Gent, which kicks off on 13 October, will be placing Belgian and British cinema at the fore, in parallel to its international competition

This year’s Film Fest Gent will be held from 13 to 24 October in Flanders. The Festival will be screening over 100 Belgian and international feature films, and is set to feature big names of world cinema such as Irish actor Colin Farrell and Japanese director Hirokazu Koreeda. As is customary, the closing ceremony of the Festival will coincide with the 15th World Soundtrack Awards ceremony. This year’s guests of honour at this exceptional event most notably include Scottish composer Patrick Doyle (who works with Kenneth Branagh and Régis Wargnier on a regular basis), and British composer Daniel Pemberton, who has worked with Ridley Scott and composed the music for Guy Ritchie and Danny Boyle’s most recent films.

The international competition will bring together 13 films, including The Lobster [+see also:
film review
trailer
Q&A: Yorgos Lanthimos
film profile] by Greek director Yorgos Lanthimos, Babai [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Visar Morina
film profile] by Kosovan director Visar Morina, Les Cowboys [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] by Thomas Bidegain (France), The High Sun [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Dalibor Matanic
interview: Tihana Lazovic
film profile] by Dalibor Matanic (Croatia), One Floor Below [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Radu Muntean
film profile] by Romanian filmmaker Radu Muntean, and Son of Saul [+see also:
film review
trailer
Q&A: László Nemes
interview: László Rajk
film profile] by Hungarian director Laszlo Nemes, which recently won the Grand Prix at Cannes.

After putting French film front and centre last year, this year the Festival will dedicate a special focus to British film, bringing together eleven films (including 45 Years [+see also:
film review
trailer
Q&A: Andrew Haigh
film profile] by Andrew Haigh, Departure [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] by Andrew Steggall, The Violators [+see also:
trailer
film profile] by David A. Hughes, and A Royal Night Out [+see also:
trailer
film profile] by Julian Jarrold) and emphasising the diversity of contemporary British film. 

Finally, the Film Fest Gent will be drawing attention to local production via its Belgian Cinema Today section. Indeed, The Ardennes [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Robin Pront
film profile], the debut film of Robin Pront, produced by Savage Film (the production company used, most notably, by Michael Roskam), will open the Festival, which will also screen Brak [+see also:
trailer
film profile] by Laurent Van Lancker, documentary Bobbejaan by Benny Vandendriessche, and the debut feature film of Manu Riche, Problemski Hotel [+see also:
trailer
film profile]. The programme also features Black [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fal…
interview: Martha Canga Antonio
film profile], the thriller by Adil El Arbi and Billal Fallah, as well as Bevergem, a series by Giles Coulier, whose short film Mont Blanc was selected for Cannes in 2013.

(Translated from French)