Draw For Change! by Nada Riyadh, Anna Moiseenko, Sama Pana, Karen Vázquez Guadarrama, Kim Longinotto and Laura Nix.
A mix of recent, new and upcoming titles from new, emerging talents and work by established names are to be presented at this year’s hybrid edition of CONNEXT (10-24 October), the annual showcase for features and TV series made in Flanders and Brussels.
In total, 26 new and upcoming Flemish and Brussels-initiated documentary features, works-in-progress (both features and series, including VR) will be presented to the international sales, distribution, finance and festival professionals in attendance.
Eleven feature-length documentary works-in-progress include A Hiphop Minute by Pascal Garnier, Manu Riche’s Carbon, Jimmy Hendrickx’s Slave Island, Jeremy Kewuan and Johan Grimonprez’s Soundtrack To A Coup d’Etat and Bye Mom! by Marie De Hert and Ellen Pollard, while a new doc project presentation is Thom Vander Beken’s The Last Jewish Summer.
Thom Vander Beken also features as one of the creators of four immersive projects that are included in CONNEXT this year. He is behind The Interview, which puts the VR participant in the position of an immigration officer.
Meanwhile, eight completed documentary features available for potential industry partners to consider include Duty of Care – The Climate Trials, written and directed by Nic Balthazar, My Paper Life, written and directed by Vida Dena (sold by CAT& Docs), Love is Not An Orange, written and directed by Otilia Babara, and The Pasha, My Mother and I (Nevine Gerits).
Non-fiction series include DNA by Lennart and Maarten Stuyck, Sarah El Kasmi’s Kids On The Block and Draw For Change! by Nada Riyadh, Anna Moiseenko, Sama Pana, Karen Vázquez Guadarrama, Kim Longinotto and Laura Nix. (Maarten and Lennart Stuyck’s completed series Catching The Pirate King is also screening during CONNEXT.)
A number of titles presented at previous CONNEXT editions took home major awards this year. On the doc side, these included Kind Hearts by Olivia Rochette and Gerard-Jan Claes, which won the Grand Prix at the Berlinale where it was selected for Generation 14plus competition. (See Business Doc Europe review)
The CONNEXT 2022 Keynote Interview with actress Veerle Baetens (The Broken Circle Breakdown), who is in post-production of her directorial debut When It Melts (fiction).
Project Pitch: Doc feature
- The Last Jewish Summer written and directed by Thom Vander Beken (prod. Quetzalcoatl)
Works-in-Progress: Doc features
- Bye Mom! written and directed by Marie De Hert & Ellen Pollard (prod. Borgerhoff & Lamberigts Tv)
- Carbon written and directed by Manu Riche (prod. Menuetto)
- CORPUS a Quest for Eternity directed by Jelle Janssens & Sofie Hanegreefs (prod. Sophimages)
- Engel’s Dream written and directed by Peter Woditsch (prod. Sophimages)
- A Hiphop Minute written and directed by Pascal Garnier (prod. Animal Tank)
- The Jacket written and directed by Mathijs Poppe (prod. Mirage)
- Jan Hoet – The Adoration of the Mystic Lamb written and directed by Luc Vrydaghs (prod. Menuetto)
- Life Will Give You Pictures written by Bart Maes & Aldine Reinink, and directed by Aldine Reinink (prod. Zonderling)
- Marching in the Dark written and directed by Kinshuk Surjan (prod. Clin d’oeil Films)
- Planet B written and directed by Pieter Van Eecke (prod. Clin d’oeil Films)
- Slave Island written by Jimmy Hendrickx, Jeremy Kewuan, Kristian Van der Heyden & Terje Toomistu, and directed by Jimmy Hendrickx & Jeremy Kewuan (prod. Harald House)
- Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat written and directed by Johan Grimonprez (prod. Zap-O-Matik)
- Under the Surface written and directed by Guido Verelst (prod. Storyhouse)
Screenings: Doc features
- Duty of Care – The Climate Trials written and directed by Nic Balthazar (prod. Wisteria, sales Java Films)
- For What It’s Worth directed by Ben De Raes (prod. Dagvorm Films)
- Heimaland written and directed by Dorus Masure & Ischa Clissen (prod. Diplodokus)
- Holding Up the Sky written and directed by Pieter Van Eecke (prod. Clin d’oeil Films)
- Love is Not An Orange written and directed by Otilia Babara (prod. Clin d’oeil Films)
- My Paper Life written and directed by Vida Dena (prod. Clin d’oeil Films; sales Cat & Docs)
- The Pasha, My Mother and I written and directed by Nevine Gerits (prod. Associate Directors)
- Seed written and directed by Dries Meddens (prod. Associate Directors)
Works-in-Progress: Doc series
- DNA written by Maarten Stuyck, and directed by Lennart Stuyck & Maarten Stuyck (prod. Diplodokus)
- Draw for Change! written by Anna Moiseenko, Sama Pana, Karen Vázquez Guadarrama, Kim Longinotto, Laura Nix, Guillaume Vandenberghe, Vincent Coen & Nada Riyadh, and directed by Nada Riyadh, Anna Moiseenko, Sama Pana, Karen Vázquez Guadarrama, Kim Longinotto & Laura Nix (prod. Clin d’oeil Films)
- Kids on the Block written by Sarah El Kasmi & Jeroen Willemse, and directed by Sarah El Kasmi (prod. A Team Productions)
Screening: Doc series
- Catching the Pirate King written and directed by Lennart Stuyck & Maarten Stuyck (prod. Diplodokus)
Immersive doc
- The Interview written and directed by Thom Vander Beken (prod. Minds Meet) [VR]
Flemish broadcasters and streamers, sizzle and promo reel presentations
- DPG Media (VTM)
- VRT (Eén, Canvas and Ketnet)
- Streamz
