18/09/2013 - This is a seven year old dream; that of Yves Vander Cruysen, councillor in charge of Culture in Waterloo

“When we contacted the producers and distributors, everyone thought there already was a Waterloo International Historical Film Festival,” says Yves Vander Cruysen. This was proof that the Brabançon area needed a cinematographic event that lived up to its international reputation.

This first edition will take place from October Thursday 17 to Sunday 20 and screen around 40 films, including 16 in competition (eight features and eight documentaries), never released in Belgium, as well as avant premieres, a panorama section, a tribute to Jean Marais, and pedagogical sessions. The fiction jury will be presided by Belgian director Gérard Corbiau, famous for his great historical frescos, to which the Festival is dedicating a focus. The documentary jury will be presided by French historian Thierry Lentz.

Amongst the fiction feature films in competition, it is worth noting Private Peaceful [+see also:
trailer
film profile] (photo) by British director Pat O’Connor, which tells the story of two brothers from a poor Devon family on the eve of World War One who decide to enrol, Ludwig II [+see also:
trailer
film profile] by Marie Noelle and Peter Sehr, which sheds a new light on the tormented personality of King Louis II of Bavaria, Last Rhapsody by Hungarian director Bence Guyongyossy, which recounts the last years of Franz Liszt, with Tamás Jordán in the role of the composer, as well as An Ennemy to Die for by Peter Dalle (Sweden), Sleeping Voice [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] by Benito Zambrano (Spain), Xingu by Cao Hamburger (Brazil), Nos héros sont morts ce soir [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] by David Perrault (France) and 7 days of Sins by Jiří Chlumský (Czech Republic).

More information (in French) of the website of Waterloo International Historical Film Festival.

(Translated from French)