09/02/2022 - The Brussels-based international sales company Bruxelles is heading to the Berlinale with a few cards up its sleeve, including Habib

Be For Films, the Brussels-based company directed by Pamela Leu, will be present at the European Film Market (online from 10 to 17 February) of the 72^nd Berlinale with two market screenings and some enticing new titles, including Habib [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Benoît Mariage
film profile], the new film from Belgian filmmaker Benoit Mariage, his first since Scouting for Zebras [+see also:
trailer
film profile] in 2014.

Habib tells the story of a young Belgian actor with a Moroccan background, who agrees to play the part of Saint Francis of Assisi in order to leave behind the roles of kindly Arab young men he is relentlessly offered in often mediocre films. When his father, who lives in Morocco, suddenly returns to Brussels with a new wife and early signs of Alzheimer’s disease, Habib finds himself torn between the expectations of his colleagues and of his family. In the title role, we find young French actor Bastien Ughetto (seen in Bye Bye Morons [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] by Albert Dupontel, and one of the creators of the Canal + series L’Effondrement with his collective Les Parasites), and the participation of none other than Catherine Deneuve has been announced. The film is produced by Mariage’s faithful collaborators, Michael Goldberg for Daylight Films in Belgium and Boris Van Gils for Formosa Productions in France, and co-produced by CAB Productions (Switzerland) and Polaris Films (France).

Be For Films will also be showing at the EFM The Last Temptation of the Belgians [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Jan Bucquoy
film profile], from Belgian director Jan Bucquoy, which has just been released in Belgium, as well as the French film South Sentinel [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Mathieu Gérault
film profile] by Mathieu Gérault, with Niels Schneider, Sofian Khammes and India Hair.

Worth pointing out in the line-up are two more Belgian films in post-production: Rituel, the new thriller from Belgian box-office champion Hans Herbots (The Treatment [+see also:
trailer
film profile]), with Marie Vinck, Gert Van Rampelberg and Eriq Ebouaney (read the news), but also the Belgian/Swiss co-production Last Dance [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Delphine Lehericey
film profile], the latest film from director Delphine Lehericey, which stars François Berléand, the Swiss/Spanish dancer/performer La Ribot and Kacey Mottet-Klein (read the news).

The company will also be presenting the Canadian film Richelieu [+see also:
film review
film profile] by Pier-Philippe Chevigny.

(Translated from French)