26/10/2011

A little Brussels boy is hitting Belgian theatres this week, in an atmosphere tinged with irritation, excitement and pride. From this morning, Tintin will be in almost 70 cinemas, working his way right into the smallest theatres, and going as far as occupying four screens in the large complexes, because the original-language version is being offered in 3D and 2D, as well as the French-language and Dutch-language versions in 3D and 2D! Overall, nearly 3,000 screenings will be devoted to the reporter with a little quiff.

Up against the major release Tintin, Jakob Verbruggen is offering Flemish audiences a completely different world with the film adaptation of his hit TV series broadcast on VTM, Code 37. Launched in 2009, where it has been breaking audience records (over 40% market share on average, and peaks of up to 975,000 viewers), Code 37 plunges into the heart of the Ghent vice squad.

A research team led by the charismatic peroxide blonde Hannah Maes investigates the most sordid crimes, from flashing to paedophilia, rape and murder. In a well-known scenario, this little slip of a woman has to make her mark in this harsh and violent man’s world. She is played by Veerle Baetens (pictured), one of the most promising talents in Flemish cinema, who is highly popular thanks to her television roles and will also appear in Felix Van Groeningen’s forthcoming film, The Broken Down Circle.

For its big-screen adaptation, Code 37 brings together all the ingredients of the popular detective series: sex, pornography and prostitution. With such content, the film has generated many expectations: from fans of the series of course, but also from the industry, who would like to see Code 37 become a resounding hit, adding to the already bumper figures for Flemish cinema in Belgian theatres, thanks to the success of Bullhead [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Bart Van Langendonck
interview: Michaël R. Roskam
film profile] and Frits & Freddy.

One detail of particular note is that the film isn’t distributed by Kinepolis, but by Starway, the film distribution arm of private Flemish network VTM. The film is being released in 33 cinemas, meaning it has a print-run comparable to that of Zot Van A and The K File [+see also:
trailer
film profile].

(Translated from French)