09/12/2014 - Following the international success experienced by The Broken Circle Breakdown, Felix Van Groeningen has just begun the shoot for his fifth film, Belgica

The cast of Belgica by Felix Van Groeningen

Felix Van Groeningen has just kicked off the shoot for his fifth feature film, Belgica [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Artemio Benki, Sylvie Leray
interview: Felix Van Groeningen
film profile]. The movie follows the story of two brothers who, even though they have absolutely nothing in common, open a bar together that quickly becomes a regular hangout for nighthawks. Despite this success, the two brothers must soon face up to the difficulties inherent in running a family business. Their brotherhood turns into rivalry, through no fault of their own. For Van Groeningen, this is a family story on two counts, as it is based on the story of his father, Jo Van Groeningen, who partook in the adventures of the Charlatan, a pub and concert venue that has occupied a legendary place in Ghent’s nightlife scene. The cast features Stef Aerts (Cub [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile], Oxygen [+see also:
trailer
film profile]) and Tom Vermeir (who has acted in a number of TV series and is the guitarist in a Flemish rock group) in the lead roles. 

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Following the success of The Broken Circle Breakdown [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Felix van Groeningen
interview: Felix Van Groeningen
interview: Felix Van Groeningen
film profile] – his melodrama with a hint of country that won an impressive number of awards, got wide distribution all over the world and was a finalist for the Oscar for Best Foreign-language Film last March – Felix Van Groeningen is seemingly under a lot of pressure. For this movie’s screenplay, he is once again working with Arne Sierens, with whom he co-wrote With Friends Like These [+see also:
trailer
interview: Felix van Groeningen
film profile]. It will again be his long-serving partners Ruben Impens and Nico Leunen who will act as DoP and editor, respectively. As was the case for The Broken Circle Breakdown, music will play a key role in the film, and the Dewaele brothers (Soulwax, 2 Many DJs) will thus oversee the original soundtrack. The movie, produced by Dirk Impens for Menuet, is co-produced by Pyramide Productions and Topkapi Films, with backing from the Flanders Audiovisual Fund and Screen Flanders. It will be sold abroad by The Match Factory, and will be distributed by Kinepolis Films Distribution in Belgium and Pyramide in France. The shoot is scheduled to wrap in mid-February, and the title is expected to hit screens next October. 

(Translated from French)