email print share on Facebook share on Twitter share on LinkedIn share on reddit pin on Pinterest

PRODUCTION Belgium

Laura Wandel begins principal photography for Playground

by 

- The young Belgian director has kicked off the shoot for her feature debut, starring Karim Leklou, Laurent Capelluto, Anne-Pascale Clairembourg, Laura Verlinden and Sandrine Blancke

Laura Wandel begins principal photography for Playground
Director Laura Wandel (© Alice Khol)

Young Belgian director Laura Wandel has just begun the shoot for Playground [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Laura Wandel
film profile
]
, which will take place until 16 August in the Brussels region. The film, which is set in a primary school, depicts a group of children who lie at the heart of the story.

This is the feature debut by Wandel, whose last short film, Foreign Bodies, was selected in competition at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival and was nominated in the Best Short Film category at the 2015 Magritte Awards.

(The article continues below - Commercial information)

The movie tells the story of a little girl called Nora. When she starts school, she is torn between wanting to help her brother, who has fallen victim to bullying, and the need to fit into this new community. Caught between her father, who encourages her to do something, and her brother, who asks her to keep quiet, Nora gets trapped in a battle for loyalty. Initially siding with her brother, she eventually betrays him in order to try to salvage her own relationship with the rest of the community.

Playing the lead characters, Nora and Abel, are Maya Vanderbeque, for whom this is the first role, and Günter Duret, who appeared in the short film Valentine. They are surrounded by an impressive adult cast, including the likes of Karim Leklou, who graced screens recently in The World Is Yours [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Romain Gavras
film profile
]
by Romain Gavras and the series Hippocrate, and myriad Belgian thesps: Laurent Capelluto (Battle of the Classes [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
, Don’t Tell Her [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
, I Am a Soldier [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Laurent Larivière
film profile
]
), Anne-Pascale Clairembourg (the series Unit 42, Mobile Home [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
), Laura Verlinden (Happy End [+see also:
film review
trailer
Q&A: Michael Haneke
film profile
]
, The Brand New Testament [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Jaco van Dormael
film profile
]
, Loft [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
) and Sandrine Blancke (currently on the cinema listings in Witz [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Martine Doyen
film profile
]
).

The film is a 100% Belgian production, staged by Dragons Films (The Disintegration [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
, Angel at Sea [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
) and Lunanime (Lola vers la mer – see the news, Funan [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Denis Do
film profile
]
).

(The article continues below - Commercial information)

(Translated from French)

Did you enjoy reading this article? Please subscribe to our newsletter to receive more stories like this directly in your inbox.

Privacy Policy