The Conscript

The Conscript 1974

5.30

In 1833, when the fledgling Belgian kingdom still fears a Dutch invasion, recruits were selected annually from an age cohort by a draw of lots in each locality. In this grim, then contemporary drama by the 'father of Flemish literature', Hendrik Conscience, Jan Braems, a poor and naive farmers-boy, accepts the not uncommon offer by a rich family to sell his lucky ticket (out) to their son for a hefty sum compared to the miserable labor wages at the time. Army life is even harsher then a farmhand's, especially for a Dutch-speaking an-alphabet who simply can't understand his francophone superiors, and Jan's nature is not complacent enough for military discipline even by todays standards, so he soon gets into all kinds of trouble, including gambling his capital away and a venereal disease. When his girlfriend back home goes looking for him, her life is doomed as well.

1974

Minuet

Minuet 1982

6.00

A factory worker is employed in the desolate, cold-storage cellars of a brewery. His spare time he devotes to collecting romantic images of wild flowers and sticking newspaper cuttings in an album, demonstrating a preference for more gruesome stories. Murders, rapes and acts of violence are the events which accompany his everyday existence and invest it with a tinge of color.

1982

The End of the Journey

The End of the Journey 1981

1.00

A 40-year-old mother struggles to deal with the anxiety of growing older after her eldest daughter moves out and the youngest distances herself.

1981

The Enclosure

The Enclosure 1978

3.50

In this silent film, a hermit living in the ruins of an old castle spies on and grows obsessed with a young couple building a home by the river.

1978

The Enemies

The Enemies 1968

5.40

The tribulations of an American GI during the Ardennes offensive and the people he encounters, keeps you riveted all the way through the unexpected ending. Great characters in a cold and snowy Belgium.

1968

Palaver

Palaver 1969

6.20

"Palaver" tells us the day of three Congolese students (Albert, Victor and Marcel) who visit Bruges for a tour of the city, and end up on the beaches of Ostend. During their trip, they cross a beautiful blond on the arm of an equally superb African.

1969

Beef Cattle

Beef Cattle 1979

3.80

Thomas, in his forties, holds an important post in a slaughterhouse. He is engaged to Marie-Rose, the daughter of the director, whom he hopes to follow later. In a routine examination in the hospital, however, he finds out that he has cancer and his days are counted. The upheaval that he suffers as a result, however, does not take long, his decision is certain: he will use the short time to clean up some bad guys. What else can he do now?

1979

Hellegat

Hellegat 1980

7.00

Sam starts his first week as a helper at a brickyard. He got this job because his new boss is the chairman of the local football team for which he plays. He's a talented goalkeeper. There is much resemblance between Sam and Louis, a 65-year-old who is pottering through the last days before his retirement. They both react strongly to the illegal dumping practices of a firm from the city. But also their boss' hands do not seem to be entirely clean in this business. Will Sam sink into the rut and routine that Louis is rebelling against?

1980

Princess

Princess 1969

4.70

Princess is the title of a photo novel which will be written by Walter and photographed by Mark. A story of sex and violence which has great success. But Mark falls so much in love with his model that he can't tell her apart from Princess...

1969

De Proefkonijnen

De Proefkonijnen 1979

2.00

The men of Chemics International lead a quiet life. However, this is cruelly disrupted by an industrial accident in which a toxic substance is released. Some workers are killed; many others are irrevocably contaminated and may suffer permanent injuries. The management, government, press and unions do not react, seeing this as an unfortunate incident. When one of Herman and Jef's best friends also dies, they have had enough. Together they made an ultimate attempt to reveal the truth to the outside world.

1979

Kasper in the Underworld

Kasper in the Underworld 1979

5.00

A mentally deranged concert pianist recalls his deceased love and decides to search for her. He believes he will be able to trace her in the underworld.

1979

Tijd om gelukkig te zijn

Tijd om gelukkig te zijn 1982

1

A forty-year-old man loses his work and is unemployed. There is a continual coming and going between uncomfortable in his own skin unemployed person, his mistress - a middle-class - and an exuberant and fragile girl.

1982

Silent Bruges

Silent Bruges 1981

5.30

Hugues cannot get over the untimely death of his wife Blanche, who made him happy for ten years. He lives alone in his house in Bruges, a city he would like to be dead like his wife. The sorrowful widower has transformed the place he lives in into a shrine dedicated to his beloved wife. One day, he meets Jeanne, a ballet dancer, who looks like Blanche.

1981

Farewells

Farewells 1966

5.40

The captain of a ship in port has been entrusted with a secret government mission. He gives leave to the crew, but orders them to report back each morning. As the days go by, and the sailing date still remains a secret, the crew are thrown into a state of increasing uncertainty. The film concentrates on two crew members whose experiences are coloured by the omnipresent reality of the ship which is about to depart.

1966

Golden Ophelia

Golden Ophelia 1974

5.00

Stefan Pielek a florist wants to commit suicide but has no official permit. He signs an official application, While he waits to get the permit he falls in love with a young girl Ophelia.

1974

Hedda Gabler

Hedda Gabler 1978

1

Jan Decorte's second feature film is an adaptation of the play Hedda Gabler by Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen. Decorte moved the locus of action of Ibsen's realistic play from 1890 to 1950, twenty-eight years earlier than when the film was shot. The story begins when Hedda returns home from an overly long honeymoon with her newly wed but colourless husband Tesman. She is pregnant and will be courted by the writer Eljert Lövbor, an old lover who is about to break through with an exceptional novel of autobiographical quality [Avila].

1978

Jonny & Jessy

Jonny & Jessy 1972

1

Jonny loves Jessy, but he likes his car even more and therefore Jessy breaks up with him.

1972

In All Intimacy

In All Intimacy 1977

1

Fred, a 28-year-old bachelor from a quiet village in the Ardennes, is forester and grave digger. He is in love with Isabel but she has always loved their childhood friend Peter. Then Peter returns after a failed marriage.

1977

The Future of '36

The Future of '36 1983

1

This is a semi documentary about a Belgian woman trying to deal with her confused ideals after the big industrial strikes in Wallony. To do so, she goes to Spain to try and find out if there is a future for anarchist ideals.

1983