Avila and Sabzian, the international film magazine based in Brussels, present a curated selection of films from the Avila catalogue by filmmakers whom Sabzian has interviewed over the years, including Ellen Vermeulen, Bas Devos, Eric de Kuyper, Boris Lehman, the Dardenne brothers and many more. A rich collection of voices – bold, poetic, surprising, and socially rooted – that spans more than half a century of Belgian film history. With this collaboration, Sabzian and Avila shine a loving light on Belgian cinema – an attempt to chart its wayward landscape through images, sounds and words.
Discover these Encounters with Belgian Filmmakers by exploring the films below and the interviews on Sabzian.
A fictitious nature documentary narrator takes the viewer on a journey meeting Palestinian stone masons, passionate British geologists and people living on the lava fields of Fogo. A hypnotic essay film asking urgent ecological questions.
A rhythmic film poem which experiments with different editing techniques. The contrast between the professional boxers and the amateurishly assembled set forms the backdrop of a surprising experiment with form.
In Belgium’s Pajottenland, a group of children gather for a game of unequal chances: snail racing. This video is part of the ongoing Children’s Games series.
Filmmaker Laure Portier follows her little brother Arnaud for almost ten years in a quest for freedom and identity. After a turbulent childhood, Arnaud must face a predestined fate. A moving, intimate portrait of a struggling soul, exploring family ties and the emancipating power of cinema.
A poetic essay film on the colonial gaze and the magic lantern. This early type of image projector was used in Belgian colonial propaganda, showcasing the good works of the Church, State and industry.
Under the tutelage of commander Walter Van Dyck, young recruits of the Belgian Armed Forces receive their basic military training.
A homoerotic exploration of beauty to the rhythm of Richard Wagner, Zarah Leander and Sergei Eisenstein. Eric de Kuyper edited film and music clips, with Ulysses’ peregrinations to guide him.
The entrancing love story of Billie and Lucas, a young Brussels couple. The film paints a candid portrait of the formative but also uncertain facets of every (first) love.
Hedda returns home from an overly long honeymoon with her colourless husband. An old lover who is about to break through with an exceptional novel introduces himself.
The Marolles is a playground for kids until one day workmen shake up the neighbourhood. The children declare war on them. A film about Brussels in the 1950s, in collaboration with the inhabitants.
Not far from Los Angeles lies the unfinished desert city of California City. A 25-year-old Lashay T. Warren attempts to build a new life there. A visual rummage through the dusty streets that Lashay playfully describes.
The first part from 1995 includes 15 interviews with protagonists of the Belgian and French cinema scene including Henri Storck, Dominique Païni, Jean-Pierre Gorin and Jean-Marie Buchet. Recordings of the talks are alternated with excerpts from films.
The second part, recorded between 1995 and 1998, consists of 17 interviews with filmmakers such as Jean Rouch, Jonas Mekas Robert Kramer, and others. Recordings of the talks are alternated with excerpts from films.
The third part covers the period from 1998 to 2010 and includes interviews with Meriam Kerkour, Charlotte Grégoire, Yaël André and ten other figures from within the film world. Recordings of the talks are alternated with excerpts from films.
In contemporary Belgium, the faith of 13-year-old Ahmed swings between the absolute ideals of his imam and the temptations of life.
Caught in a dance, bees recount stories about the world around them. From the smallest cell in a honeycomb to the largest economy in the world, this essayistic nature documentary maps the bonds between man and bee.
A Sunday in Brussels. The guard is changing, children are playing and people are visiting Cinema Aventure. A short film about boredom that manages to sublimate the everyday, without commentary and usage of exceptional images.
Lyrically blending both documentary and narrative elements, Khleifi skilfully and lovingly crafts a portrait of two Palestinian women whose individual struggles both define and transcend the politics that have torn apart their homes and their lives.
A carefully made film, offering an intimate insight into the lives of Rosie, Sami, Irakli, and Nathan, four children with different educational needs who are going to regular schools.