16/12/2003

Flemish cinema is going down a storm and, for the first time, domestic productions have captured a 33% share of the Belgium market in a single weekend. The new film by Jan Verheyen, Team Spirit II was released last Wednesday on 28 screens and has already been seen by more than 52,000 people in 5 days, which is an increase of 10% on audience for the first film, Team Spirit. This success follows hot on the heels of another hit, The Alzheimer Case [+see also:
trailer
film profile] by Erik Van Looy, which is still going strong. During the same weekend, The Alzheimer Case netted a further €115,000 with a total audience of more than 521,000. The first feature film by the singer Tom Barman, Any Way the Wind Blows is also faring well, following its release in the summer. This improvement in the fortunes of Flemish cinema can also be seen as following on from support by the Vlaams Audiovisueel Fonds production and promotion funding system, which was recently set up.

(Translated from French)