The programme for the 51st edition of the Ghent Film Festival, which will take place from 9 to 20 October, promises to be "boldly vibrant" announced the organisers.
"There will be many things to discover" and "more new voices than in previous years," according to the festival's programme director Wim De Witte.
The festival will open with 'Small Things Like These' by Belgian director Tim Mielants. The organisers have also selected 95 feature films and 29 short films, chosen from over 1,500 submissions, as well as notable entries from festivals such as Berlin, Cannes, Locarno, Telluride, and Toronto.
"People who have followed our programme for a few years know that we always offer a good mix of big names and smaller projects," says De Witte. "The big names will, of course, be present. This includes not only the Berlinale opening film but also the Cannes Palme d'Or winner 'Anora' by Sean Baker, and the Venice Film Festival's Golden and Silver Lion winners 'The Room Next Door' by Pedro Almodóvar and 'Vermiglio' by Maura Delpero."
De Witte also said that the festival will showcase a number of debut filmmakers. He acknowledged the inherent risk of showing films that the audience have few references to, but nevertheless confidently stated: "I think there are few films that will disappoint people."
Local Ghent talents will also be present to showcase their new projects, such as Dimitri Verhulst ('The Weeping Walk'), Christina Vandekerckhove ('Milano'), Ish Ait Hamou and Monir Ait Hamou ('BXL'), and Leonardo Van Dijl ('Julie Keeps Quiet' which will represent Belgium in the Oscar race for Best International Feature Film).
