Belgian filmmaker Fien Troch will kick off the fiftieth edition of the Film Fest Gent on Tuesday 10 October with her latest feature film "Holly", the organisation announced on Tuesday.
For the third year in a row, the film festival has chosen a homegrown opener, after "Close" and "La Civil".
Troch won the Georges Delerue Award for Best Music seven years ago at the same festival with her film "Home". Her feature debut "Een ander zijn geluk" and its successors "Unspoken" and "Kid" have already been included in the program, as have two of her short films.
This time she brings "Holly", a portrait of a 15-year-old girl who seems to have predicted a deadly school fire. Earlier, the film was also selected for the Venice International Film Festival.
🌟HOLLY🌟
Proud to finally tell you all that 'Holly' by Fien Troch will be the Official Opening Film of the 50th anniversary edition of Film Fest Gent and will kick off the international film festival on Tuesday 10 October! pic.twitter.com/QyJbzOPJ7w — Film Fest Gent (@FilmfestGent) August 22, 2023
"The festival has always welcomed us warmly and I am extremely happy that we will open the fiftieth edition with this film. We will definitely make it a big party," Troch enthused.
Cathalina Geeraerts plays the protagonist Holly alongside Felix Heremans, Greet Verstraete, Els Deceukelier, Serdi Faki Alici and Robbie Cleiren. As with "Home," Troch counted on the support of Frank van den Eeden and Nico Leunen for photography and editing.
"Holly" will play in Belgian cinemas from November 22.
