For the next two weeks, the city of Ghent will be a mecca for film lovers, although this is not only due to the famous film festival. The final days of major activities are also its sister festival Courtisane, where many unknown gems will fill cinemas at Sphinx Cinema, Miry, Paddenhoek and KASKcinema.
Courtisane, which will celebrate its 20th birthday in 2021, will take place October 20-24. During the main program, short films and feature players by Chantal Ackermann, Andy Warhol, Eric Baudelaire and others can be seen. Also a surreal revolutionary short film age networks By Maya Deren will appear on the big screen.
Moreover, some artists are honored. One is Sandra Laher, the radical feminist filmmaker who was one of the main figures on the London experimental film circuit in the 1980s and 1990s. Her work addressed topics from the multifaceted feminist movement around mental health to environmental devastation in the nuclear age and still seems surprisingly relevant today. She also engaged in dialogue with Sylvia Plath’s poetry from her first film to her last. A wonderful work where film, literature and social engagement meet. Both her own work and that of the artists are on display in her dense surroundings at Courtisane.
Also in the retrospective program out of the shadows Female filmmakers who deserve more recognition are highlighted. It focuses in particular on four filmmakers from the Arab world: Attiyat Al Abnoudi, Asia Jabbar, Jocelyn Saab and Heine Sorour. They are four artists with very different styles, but there are some similarities. They are all unfairly overlooked pioneers of Arab cinema, often discussing similar themes such as identity, oppression, and the social and political role of women in Arab societies.
Another artist duo that deserves a special mention is CW Winter and Anders Edström, from the United States and Sweden respectively. They themselves call their film’s approach a “topological reformulation from real to fiction.” The two make films in which the plot is subordinate to the reflections of everyday life, and the communication between man and nature is fundamental. No plans yet for October 23? Then you can go and see Works and Days (Tayoko Shiogiri in the Shiotani Basin)A film of no less than eight hours in which these themes are explored in depth. In addition to showing their own films, Edström and Winter have also curated a multi-film program that explores “time as experience” from different angles.
It might be obvious that Courtisane offers a lot of beauty to adventurous movie fans. Tickets for all of the above, and a full profile of what to see, can be found at website from the festival.
Courtisane, which will celebrate its 20th birthday in 2021, will take place October 20-24. During the main program, short films and feature players by Chantal Ackermann, Andy Warhol, Eric Baudelaire and others can be seen. The surrealistic revolutionary film “Sunshine Afternoon” by Maya Deren will also be shown on the big screen, and a few artists will also be honoured. One is Sandra Laher, the radical feminist filmmaker who was one of the main figures on the London experimental film circuit in the 1980s and 1990s. Her work addressed topics from the multifaceted feminist movement around mental health to environmental devastation in the nuclear age and still seems surprisingly relevant today. She also engaged in dialogue with Sylvia Plath’s poetry from her first film to her last. A wonderful work where film, literature and social engagement meet. Both her own work and that of the artists are on display in her dense surroundings at Courtisane. Out of the Shadows retrospective highlights the women filmmakers who deserve more recognition. It focuses in particular on four filmmakers from the Arab world: Attiyat Al Abnoudi, Asia Jabbar, Jocelyn Saab and Heine Sorour. They are four artists with very different styles, but there are some similarities. They are all pioneers in the world of Arab cinema, often unfairly overlooked, often discussing similar themes such as identity, oppression, and the social and political role of women in Arab societies. Another artist duo that deserves a special mention is CW Winter and Anders Edström, from the United States and Sweden. Straight. They themselves call their film’s approach a “topological reformulation from real to fiction.” The two make films in which the plot is subordinate to the reflections of everyday life, and the communication between man and nature is fundamental. No plans yet for October 23? Then you can watch The Works and Days (or Tayoko Shiojiri in the Shiotani Basin), an eight-hour film in which these themes are explored in depth. Besides their own film screenings, Edström and Winter have also curated a program of various films that explore “time as experience” from different angles, and Courtisane clearly offers a lot of beauty to adventurous movie lovers. Tickets for all of the above, and a full profile of what to see, can be found on the festival’s website.