04/09/2009

Like last month’s Oostende Film Festival, the Brussels Movie Days (September 9-13) will not feature competitions or retrospectives, but exclusive preview screenings in a quasi-autumnal Brussels. Despite the time of year, the Days – which also feature open-air screenings – have been drawing crowds for the past two years.

Viewers at the Days will get a taster of September 23 releases, when three very different French films hit the screens. Christian Carion will be in Brussels to present his latest title, Farewell [+see also:
trailer
film profile]. Five years after tackling the subject of Front fraternity in Merry Christmasl [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Christian Carion
interview: Christophe Rossignon
film profile], his new title deals with state betrayal, with the story of a KGB agent who chooses to betray his country by serving for France. The title – co-produced by Christophe Rossignon (Nord-Ouest Production), Bertand Faivre (Le Bureau) – stars director and occassional actor Emir Kusturica along with fellow director Guillaume Canet, a regular in Carion’s films.

Father-son team Claude & Nathan Miller will be unveiling I’m Glad That My Mother is Alive (a Venice Days screening, see news), the story of a young boy reunited with his mother who abandoned him at birth. Produced by F comme Film, Victory Productions is handling its Belgian release.

Another title on the programme is an ambitious historical film by Robert Guedigian, an out-of-competition screening at Cannes this year. With a solid experienced cast (Simon Abkarian, Jean-Pierre Darroussin, Ariane Ascaride), and some newcomers (Grégoire Leprince-Ringuet, Virginie Ledoyen), The Army of Crime [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] recounts how foreign partisans fought for France and human rights. Distribution is being managed by Cinéart.

Last but not least, Cinéart will be presenting Laurent Tirard’s eagerly awaited Petit Nicolas [+see also:
trailer
film profile], opening on September 30.

(Translated from French)