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Ghent International Film Week 2026 Awards Its Standout FilmsThe Ghent International Film Week is a one-of-a-kind film ev...
05/10/2026

Ghent International Film Week 2026 Awards Its Standout Films

The Ghent International Film Week is a one-of-a-kind film event bringing bold and original cinema to the heart of Ghent. Taking place during Ghent Art Week, the festival presents a full week of challenging and innovative films from around the world, ranging from underground discoveries and experimental shorts to striking documentaries and daring feature films.

Formerly known as Obskuur, the festival has always focused on films that push boundaries. At its core is the belief that cinema should do more than entertain: it should provoke, inspire, challenge expectations, and spark conversation.

With an eclectic official selection comprising more than 40 films from across the globe, this year’s festival brought together an unusually broad range of forms, voices, and perspectives. The programme moved from the intimate emotional terrain of Alisa Kolosova’s I Spy With My Little Eye and the unsettling, sun-drenched dystopia of Helena Ganjalyan and Bartosz Szpak’s Glorious Summer, to the surreal visual language of Annamaria Pennazzi’s A Blink and A Whisper. Elsewhere, films such as Mykyta Lyskov’s animated Kyiv Cake, Anne Zinn-Justin’s apocalyptic family drama Bestiary, and Friedrich Ludmann’s 27-second stop-motion work Silhouette demonstrated the remarkable range of scale, technique, and storytelling represented in this year’s selection.

Festival curator and director Kris De Meester reflected on this year’s edition:
“What made me especially happy this year was seeing how strongly audiences responded to the different ways in which we presented the programme. Most of our evening screenings were fully booked, but it was equally exciting to see people engaging with the festival throughout the day. Our ‘Rabbit Holes’ programme—a video installation featuring five short films—ran continuously as part of Ghent Art Week and was seen by hundreds of visitors over the course of the week. It proved to be a very interesting format for us: people could encounter the films almost unexpectedly, spend time with them at their own pace, and discover cinema outside the traditional screening-room setting. Seeing both formats work so well alongside each other gives us a lot to build on.”

The Ghent International Film Week is proud to announce the winners of its 2026 awards, as determined by the jury:

Best Narrative Feature Film
I Spy With My Little Eye (Germany) by Alisa Kolosova

Best Documentary Feature Film
Prophet Town (United States) by Dan Howlett

Best Experimental Film
A Blink and A Whisper (United Kingdom) by Annamaria Pennazzi

Best Narrative Short Film
The Locker Room (Spain) by Miguel Bensadón Oliart

Best Documentary Short Film
To My Grandfather (Germany, Ukraine) by Sofia Samoylova

Best Underground Film
Glorious Summer (Poland) by Helena Ganjalyan and Bartosz Szpak

Best Cinematography
How to fall out of love (Poland, Ukraine) by Varvara Zarytska

Best Minimalist Film
Alzou (Belgium) by Ugo Woatzi

Best Installation Film
Mars (United Kingdom) by Shelley Hopkins

Best Animated Film
Kyiv Cake (Estonia, Ukraine) by Mykyta Lyskov

Best Music Video
Tulipomania: I've Been Told (United States) by Cheryl Gelover and Tom Murray

Best Dance Film
Something Has to Give (United States) by Allison Fan and Fred Midgley

Best Existential Film
Bestiary (France) by Anne Zinn-Justin

Best Connecting Cultures Film
Under the table (Georgia, Romania, Switzerland) by Mariam Bitsadze

Best Super Short Film
Silhouette (Germany) by Friedrich Ludmann

Best Belgian Film
Womb Space (Belgium) by Marisa Papen and Michael Chichi

Audience Choice Award
Portals (United States) by Kathi Hendrick, Benjamin Henretig, and Cornelia Hodges

Official Selection / winners of The Tarkovski Grant:
Mars (United Kingdom) by Shelley Hopkins
Franck (France) by Fabio Caldironi
Push The Machine (Australia, France, United Kingdom) by Max Ward
Alzou (Belgium) by Ugo Woatzi
The Nocturnes (France) by Siham Bel
Silhouette (Germany) by Friedrich Ludmann
I Spy With My Little Eye (Germany) by Alisa Kolosova
Tulipomania: I've Been Told (United States) by Cheryl Gelover, Tom Murray
Prophet Town (United States) by Dan Howlett
Figure in frame (United Kingdom) by Mel Steele
Glorious Summer (Poland) by Helena Ganjalyan, Bartosz Szpak
Loser (Taiwan) by Mali Chen
Under the table (Georgia, Romania, Switzerland) by Mariam Bitsadze
Frames (Australia) by Claire Marshall
To My Grandfather (Germany, Ukraine) by Sofia Samoylova
How to fall out of love (Poland, Ukraine) by Varvara Zarytska
Bestiary (France) by Anne Zinn-Justin
A Blink and A Whisper (United Kingdom) by Annamaria Pennazzi
Mascha (Germany) by Laura Engelhardt
Equal (United States) by Tom Bessoir
The Locker Room (Spain) by Miguel Bensadón Oliart
Something Has to Give (United States) by Allison Fan, Fred Midgley
Waiting for the End of the World (United States) by Jeffrey Hoyt
Womb Space (Belgium) by Marisa Papen, Michael Chichi
A Carcass (France) by Djimili Dimou
Kyiv Cake (Estonia, Ukraine) by Mykyta Lyskov
Baab (United Arab Emirates) by Nayla Al Khaja
Duos (Mexico) by Frank Rodríguez
Immram (Switzerland) by Jonathan Moratal, Arthur Deschamps
The Undergrowth (United States) by Griffin Roessler
Stuck (United States) by Josephine Harrison
Reel Selves (France) by Gabriel Chourrier
A Short Chronicle of Murder (Germany) by Jochen Isensee
60 Pounds of Home (Germany) by Michael Eibl
Ottilie Moore’s Protégé Charlotte Salomon (United States) by Dana Plays
Shucking Tradition (United States) by David Helfer Wells
Portals (United States) by Kathi Hendrick, Benjamin Henretig, Cornelia Hodges
Threshold (United States) by Jil Guyon
Dowsing (United States) by Tim Feeney
The Last Day (Italy) by Michael Fantauzzi

🎬 TONIGHT: TWO PREMIERES, ONE EVENING, AND POSSIBLY THE LONGEST ARTIST TALK PER SECOND OF FILM IN CINEMA HISTORY.We have...
29/09/2026

🎬 TONIGHT: TWO PREMIERES, ONE EVENING, AND POSSIBLY THE LONGEST ARTIST TALK PER SECOND OF FILM IN CINEMA HISTORY.

We have the great honour of opening tonight’s programme with the WORLD PREMIERE of SILHOUETTE (Germany), by Friedrich Ludmann.

Running time? 27 seconds. Yes. Twenty-seven. 00:00:27. You read that correctly.

This tiny stop-motion animation commemorates the events of September 11, 2001, exactly 25 years ago. A very short film about something that left an enormous mark on history.

And because we believe that no film is too short to deserve a proper conversation, director Friedrich Ludmann will be present for an artist talk. We can already confidently announce that the discussion will last longer than the film itself. Possibly by several hundred percent. 😁

And that’s just the beginning!

We’ll round off the evening with our German headliner, I SPY WITH MY LITTLE EYE, celebrating its BELGIAN PREMIERE! 🇧🇪🇩🇪

Two premieres, one evening. From 27 seconds to a full cinematic experience.

🍿 Do arrive on time, though. If you’re three minutes late, you’ll have missed the entire first film seven times over.

Vanavond wanneer het donker wordt. Aan de gevel van Velvet Room, Alpacastraat 29, Gent: “CODE 143” van Ron Chiers - Het ...
28/09/2026

Vanavond wanneer het donker wordt. Aan de gevel van Velvet Room, Alpacastraat 29, Gent: “CODE 143” van Ron Chiers - Het werk verwijst naar de manier waarop persoonlijke en intieme boodschappen vandaag steeds vaker worden gecommuniceerd via onpersoonlijke signalen, meldingen, hartjes en statussen in een hoogtechnologische samenleving.

GHENT ART WEEK 202628 september — 4 oktoberGratisEen week lang staat Gent in het teken van hedendaagse kunst.30+ kunsten...
20/09/2026

GHENT ART WEEK 2026
28 september — 4 oktober
Gratis

Een week lang staat Gent in het teken van hedendaagse kunst.

30+ kunstenaars
10+ galeries & kunstlocaties
30+ films
7 dagen kunst
100% gratis

Ontdek tentoonstellingen en kunstprojecten op verschillende locaties in het centrum van Gent, waaronder Velvet Room, Tatjana Pieters, Valcke Art Gallery, BOLD, Third Place Art Gallery, Zebrastraat, Het Objectief, Weerlicht Gallery, Galerie 3, Charlene Kervijn Contemporary Art, Galerie Wim Drusius, Galerie S & H De Buck, Villa De Bondt, Rufus Gallery en vele andere.

En wanneer de galeries hun deuren sluiten, is de dag nog niet voorbij.

Elke avond om 20u sluiten we af met een gratis filmvertoning in Velvet Room, als onderdeel van de Ghent International Film Week. Verwacht een internationale selectie van hedendaagse fictie, documentaire en experimentele cinema.

Na de screening krijg je bovendien een gratis drankje en kan je napraten met kunstenaars, filmmakers en andere bezoekers.

Van galerie naar galerie. Van kunst naar film. Zeven dagen lang. Helemaal gratis.

Ghent Art Week
28.09 — 04.10.2026
http://www.ghentartweek.com

Gratis film en een drankje, de Ghent Film Week is terug!Van 28 september tot 4 oktober 2026 kan je telkens om 20:00 tere...
19/09/2026

Gratis film en een drankje, de Ghent Film Week is terug!
Van 28 september tot 4 oktober 2026 kan je telkens om 20:00 terecht bij de underground cinema Velvet Room (Alpacastraat 29, Gent) voor uitdagende cinema. Er is ook een online streaming selectie beschikbaar van 28 september tot 27 oktober.
De Ghent Film Week is gericht op het ontdekken van nieuw filmtalent. Dit jaar brengt het festival een hele week lang innovatieve, experimentele, provocatieve en onafhankelijke films van zowel lokaal als internationaal talent. Ghent International Film Week geeft underground werken van opkomende filmmakers een publiek platform. Op het programma prijken dit keer wel meer dan 30 kort- en langspeelfilms uit alle hoeken van de wereld. Ontdek de volledige selectie: https://www.ghentfilmweek.com
Dankzij onze sponsors is toegang tot het festival gratis en wordt er een drankje voorzien. Reserveren kan: https://www.ghentfilmweek.com
In samenwerking met Ghent Art Week, https://www.ghentartweek.com

The Auteur Cinema Archive is proud to welcome The Feast, the award-winning debut short film by Georgian filmmaker Mariam...
03/07/2026

The Auteur Cinema Archive is proud to welcome The Feast, the award-winning debut short film by Georgian filmmaker Mariam Bitsadze, to its growing collection of remarkable independent cinema.

Premiering at the Tbilisi International Film Festival, where it received the Main Prize for Best Short Film, and later selected by festivals including the Brussels Independent Film Festival, The Feast immediately established Mariam Bitsadze as an exciting new voice in contemporary cinema.

Set over the course of a single day, the film follows a Georgian housewife meticulously preparing an elaborate dinner for her husband's guests. Every dish is crafted with care, every detail attended to, yet when the guests arrive, she slowly fades into the background of the celebration she herself has created. What initially appears to be a familiar domestic drama gradually transforms into something far richer and more unexpected—a quiet meditation on identity, sacrifice, and the invisible emotional labour performed by countless women.

Rather than confronting its themes through overt conflict or melodrama, The Feast unfolds with remarkable patience. Bitsadze allows gestures, silences, and routines to accumulate emotional weight until the film reaches a poetic, surreal conclusion that redefines everything that came before. It is a finale that feels both dreamlike and inevitable, elevating an intimate domestic story into something profoundly universal.

Visually restrained and elegantly composed, the film demonstrates an impressive confidence for a first-time director. Every frame reflects an understanding that cinema often communicates most powerfully through what remains unsaid.

Auteur Cinema Archive curator Kris De Meester explains the film's inclusion:
"What stayed with me after watching The Feast was its extraordinary sense of rhythm. Mariam Bitsadze understands that emotion doesn't need to be forced—it can quietly grow until it becomes overwhelming. The film builds with remarkable patience before arriving at a poetic, almost surreal final movement that lands with tremendous emotional force.
At its heart, this is a portrait of a woman who is almost invisible to those around her, yet whose quiet strength carries the entire world she inhabits. The film never turns her into a victim; instead, it observes her with empathy, dignity, and profound respect. It is precisely this subtlety that makes the work so powerful.
Perhaps most exciting of all is that this is a debut. Mariam Bitsadze demonstrates a remarkable cinematic maturity, revealing herself as one of the most promising new filmmakers of her generation. If this film is any indication, her future work will be well worth following."

Beyond its intimate story, The Feast also offers a loving portrait of Georgian culture, where hospitality, food, and communal rituals become both expressions of generosity and reflections of deeply rooted social expectations. The sumptuous preparations for the evening meal are photographed with genuine affection, yet they also become symbols of the protagonist's unspoken sacrifices.

With The Feast, Mariam Bitsadze has crafted a film that speaks softly but resonates deeply. It is a beautifully observed work that transforms everyday domestic life into quietly profound cinema, revealing that the most significant revolutions sometimes begin with the smallest gestures.

The Auteur Cinema Archive is honoured to preserve and celebrate this exceptional debut, confident that it marks the beginning of a remarkable filmmaking career.

https://www.auteurarchive.com
https://www.whush.com

The Ardennes International Film Festival Concludes Its Second Edition in NamurThe second edition of the Ardennes Interna...
13/06/2026

The Ardennes International Film Festival Concludes Its Second Edition in Namur

The second edition of the Ardennes International Film Festival concluded after three days of screenings, conversations, and cinematic discovery in and around Namur, Belgium.

Taking place over three days, the festival presented its program across two venues. The first two days were hosted at Cinéma Caméo in Namur, while the final day unfolded at the rural setting of Vivi Viron in Wépion, where audiences gathered for three additional screening sessions in a more intimate environment.

True to its vision, the festival focused on creating meaningful encounters between films and audiences. Rather than pursuing scale, the Ardennes International Film Festival continues to cultivate a space where cinema can be experienced attentively, where discussions emerge naturally, and where filmmakers and viewers can engage with one another beyond the traditional festival format.

This year's program brought together independent works from Europe, North America, Asia, and the Middle East, showcasing a diverse range of perspectives, forms, and cinematic languages. From deeply personal documentaries and visionary experimental works to bold narrative features and innovative animation, the selection reflected the festival's commitment to artistic freedom and cultural exchange.

2026 Award Winners�

Best Documentary Feature Film
Vis ta Vie Bo**el! (France) by Bastien Thierry and Marc Laure
A poetic and deeply personal road movie following a seven-month journey from Brittany to the Moroccan desert. Through encounters with activists, shamans, and alternative communities, the film explores humanity's relationship with nature, inner transformation, and the search for meaning in a rapidly changing world.

Best Documentary Short Film
Faustyna (Poland) by Natalia Dutkiewicz
An intimate portrait distinguished by its emotional sensitivity and observational approach, revealing the complexity of an individual life through quiet and powerful moments.

Best Narrative Feature Film
Le Train (Canada) by Marie Brassard
Set in Quebec between the 1960s and 1970s, this imaginative coming-of-age story follows a gifted young girl whose fascination with a passing train leads her toward dreams, science fiction, and a mysterious journey into the unknown.

Best Narrative Short Film
Reliefs (Mexico) by Juan Manuel Gonzalez Fernandez
A touching and understated story about family, aging, and reconciliation, centered on the relationship between a middle-aged man struggling with his own life and a mother coping with chronic pain.

Best Experimental Film
Becoming (United Kingdom) by Shelley Hopkins
A hypnotic audiovisual experience that contemplates creation, destruction, and transformation on both microscopic and cosmic scales, inviting viewers into a realm where beauty and impermanence coexist.

Best Underground Film
Performance No.19190301 (South Korea) by Mingu Kang
An inventive blend of road movie, performance art, and historical reflection in which a grandmother and her grandson embark on an unexpected journey through the collective memory of Korea.

Best Animated Film
Une Fugue (France) by Agnès Patron
A poignant animated meditation on memory and loss, told through a sister's recollections of her brother and the enduring traces he leaves behind.

Best Super Short Film
Super V (France) by Franck Janin
A playful and highly efficient miniature comedy proving that imagination and humor need only a few minutes to leave a lasting impression.

Best Belgian Film
L'été avant l'internat (Belgium) by Vincent Terlinchamp
A moving portrait of a mother and her daughter with Down syndrome as they navigate the emotional transition toward greater independence and a new chapter in their lives.�

Cinema Beyond Borders
One of the defining characteristics of this year's edition was the diversity of cinematic voices represented on screen. Films from vastly different cultural backgrounds were presented to audiences willing to travel beyond familiar perspectives and discover new ways of seeing the world.
The conversations that followed many of the screenings demonstrated that while languages, histories, and experiences may differ, cinema remains a uniquely powerful medium for creating understanding and connection.

As the final screening came to a close, the festival once again affirmed its belief that some of the most meaningful cinematic experiences occur not in the largest venues, but in spaces where audiences can watch, reflect, and engage together.

The Ardennes International Film Festival
Where Silence Speaks in Flames.

ARDENNES INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVALDark woods. Deep stories.Du 9 au 11 juin 2026, l'Ardennes International Film Festiva...
02/06/2026

ARDENNES INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
Dark woods. Deep stories.
Du 9 au 11 juin 2026, l'Ardennes International Film Festival vous invite à découvrir 26 films audacieux venus des quatre coins du monde. Une sélection sauvage, intime et profondément humaine, présentée dans deux lieux emblématiques de la région namuroise.

9 & 10 juin
Cinéma le Caméo
Rue des Carmes 49, 5000 Namur

11 juin
Vevi
Wéron 15, 5100 Wépion, Namur

Tous les billets : 5 € (boisson offerte)

Les films sont projetés en version originale sous-titrée en anglais.
Films are screened in their original language with English subtitles.

PROGRAMME
Courts métrages en Français
Mardi 9 juin 2026 – 20h00
7 courts métrages en français + une boisson offerte.
Tous les films sont en français et sous-titrés en anglais.
Cinéma le Caméo, Namur
Billets : 5 €

International Shorts
Mercredi 10 juin 2026 – 20h00
6 courts métrages internationaux + une boisson offerte.
Tous les films sont en anglais ou sous-titrés en anglais.
Cinéma le Caméo, Namur
Billets : 5 €

L'été avant l'internat
Jeudi 11 juin 2026 – 17h15
Court métrage documentaire en français + une boisson offerte.
Sous-titré en anglais.
Vevi, Wépion
Billets : 5 €

Vis ta Vie Bo**el!
Jeudi 11 juin 2026 – 18h00
Long métrage documentaire en français + une boisson offerte.
Sous-titré en anglais.
Vevi, Wépion
Billets : 5 €

Le Train (Canada)
Jeudi 11 juin 2026 – 20h00
Long métrage en français + une boisson offerte.
Sous-titré en anglais.
Vevi, Wépion
Billets : 5 €

Réservez vos places / Book your tickets :
https://www.ardennesfilmfestival.com

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