16/01/2012

Since its screening at Berlin last February, Michaël Roskam’s Bullhead [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Bart Van Langendonck
interview: Michaël R. Roskam
film profile] has tirelessly done the rounds of festivals across the world, picking up many awards along the way, often for its lead actor Matthias Schoenaerts. The latest honour was the FIPRESCI Award for Best Actor, presented at the Palm Springs Festival this weekend. Since its release, the film has been a real success story, both domestically and internationally.

In Belgium, the film attracted droves of viewers into theatres, despite its harsh subject matter and demanding approach. The film’s very local context (based on a real-life crime story) clearly appealed to audiences, drawn in by the sharp narrative sense shown by Roskam in his debut film. After an outstanding first weekend, the film garnered a total of over 400,000 admissions, putting it at the top of the 2011 box-office rankings for Belgian films in Belgium.

In a rare occurrence, the film was also released in Wallonia two months after its “Flemish” release (in Brussels and Flanders). Film professionals followed the example of audiences, for Bullhead did as well as expected at the Vlaamse Filmprijzen (Flanders Film Awards), sweeping up six of the eight gongs for which it was nominated. More surprisingly, it is nominated in nine categories at the upcoming Magritte Film Awards, the Francophone counterpart to the Belgian film awards.

The film has shone internationally too. Launched at the Berlinale, it was the top winner at the Beaune International Thriller Film Festival in April, and travelled to festivals throughout the summer, screening at Karlovy Vary, Zagreb (Grand Prize), Pusan, Helsinki, Montreal (Best Debut Film), Melbourne and Athens. At the start of autumn, the film triumphed over other contenders at the Austin Fantastic Film Festival (Best Film, Best Director and Best Actor), and Schoenaerts picked up honours again in Moscow. At the same time, the film was chosen by Belgian professionals to represent Belgium in the Oscar race. The prize awarded at Palm Springs should help to put the film at the forefront of the attention of the Oscars academy members, who will announce their nominations on January 24.

(Translated from French)