Brussels Independent Film Festival

From 9 to 15 February 2020, the international film community will see the return of the renewed Brussels Independent Film Festival, an annual weeklong event that has highlighted independent and experimental cinematic talent for over four decades. Founded by the Centre Multimedia in Brussels in 1974, the festival in its original incarnation came to an end in 2012. Revived in 2018, the Brussels Independent Film Festival is back now for its 3rd year, and will continue to emphasize lesser known, vanguard cinematic works and further its tradition of galvanizing budding talent. Its goal is to create a warm, open atmosphere in which filmmakers, fans, critics, and producers can watch the films of emerging talents, explore new cinematic techniques and styles, and award cinematic excellence.

The 2020 edition once again will screen films of both novices and veterans —with medium and low budgets— from all over the globe. The selection includes drama, animated, documentary, experimental, short and feature films or music videos from Belgium, France, The Netherlands, Germany, USA, UK, Mexico, China, Canada, Switzerland, Poland, Australia, Japan, and more.

A few highlights this year:

The Japanese documentary 'Woman Holding Perspective' (Japan) by Noboyuki Oura depicts the life of stage actress Ayumi Abe. She covers her body with tattoos. Does bondage shows. Prostitutes herself. She comes alive with the physical sensation of pain. At the same time, the film is a self portrait of director himself. Nobuyuki Oura is an artist, whose printmaking has long been the subject of controversy in Japan. In this documentary, Oura inserts hope and light into the suffering-filled world through Ayumi Abe' way of living.

'Obscure' (United States) by Kunlin Wang is a coming-of-age journey of a teenage boy who sexually awakens after discovering the physical relationship between his father figure and sister figure. The sibling love and companionship, which once served to counterbalance familial strangeness, is now disturbed and gradually develops into a sexual attraction and desire.

The documentary 'Kifaru' (United States) by David Hambridge follows the lives of two young Kenyan recruits that join Ol Pejeta Conservancy's rhino caretaker unit - a small group of rangers that care for and protect Sudan, the last male northern white rhino, or 'kifaru' in Swahili. Spanning over the course of the caretakers first four years on the job, the viewer experiences the joys and pitfalls of conservation firsthand through the lens of these men and view extinction in real-time.

In 'Zeinab on the Scooter' (Lebanon) by Dima El-Horr, Zeinab is a rebellious Muslim Shi’a, and one of the first veiled women riding a scooter in Beirut. This documentary follows her in her professional, family and love life, with one question in mind: How to be a young Lebanese woman today, asserting her individuality in a patriarchal and communitarian society?

In 'Vultures', Brazilian filmmaker Claudio Borrelli tells the story of Trinchas, who commands a gang of “pichadores” (graffiti taggers) that climb very tall buildings in São Paulo, only to sign their names up there. When Trinchas meets Valeria – an art graduate student -, their worlds collide, resulting in the invasion of the 28th São Paulo Biennial. From that moment on, both of them need to deal with the consequences of it.

And many more!

This year, the Brussels Independent Film Festival also presents its new section, 'The Rabbit Holes'. The festival goes underground with a selection of experimental films by artists from all over the globe. The vaulted rooms of the underground exhibition hall at Cinema Galeries will serve as the setting for the weeklong continuous screenings of 30 carefully selected works, on 3 different screens. You can visit for free for the duration of the festival, every day between 2PM-8PM. Find out more at https://www.brusselsfilmfestival.org/therabbitholes

INFO&TICKETS:

Entrance to the screenings is free of charge. Thanks to our sponsors we’re also able to offer complimentary popcorn. Reservations for the screenings are required. Please visit the screening schedules on https://www.brusselsfilmfestival.com to make reservations.

All films are English spoken and/or English subtitled.

The Brussels Independent Film Festival will take place in the heart of Brussels, Belgium in February 2020. Join us at our different unique locations, such as the Atomium, Cinema Galeries and Cinema RITCS.