The Belgian capital is home to a wealth of unique independent cinemas, all of which lay on busy and carefully curated programmes of films each month, making it hard to choose what to watch.
The Brussels Times has picked out a selection of the best films and documentaries (as well as a couple of festivals) for cinephiles and curious cinema goers alike that are not to be missed this April.
Ones to watch
'Sleeping Dogs' (2024), White Cinema Docks, until 9 April
Director by Adam Cooper, this gripping American crime thriller is a must-watch. Retired homicide detective Roy Freeman (Russell Crowe) – who is undergoing treatment for Alzheimer's disease – is forced to revisit an old case he cannot remember and can only trust his instincts.
As he pieces together more and more evidence from a decade-old murder investigation, he must ask himself whether it would be better to just let sleeping dogs lie.
Find more information here.
'Monkey Man' (2024), White Cinema Docks, until 9 April
Not for the faint-hearted! Monkey Man, the writing-directing feature debut of starring actor Dev Patel (Slumdog Millionaire, Lion), is a surprisingly political, ultra-violent action thriller depicting a tale of retribution.
Inspired by the legend of Lord Hanuman, the monkey deity, the young man infiltrates the enclave of the city's sinister elite to settle his scores and take on the Hindu caste system.
Find more information here.
'No pride in genocide', Cinema Galeries, 10 April
Pink Screens festival (organised by non-profit Genres d'à côté) is joining forces with Filmistin, an initiative led by three artists/activists to promote Palestinian visual art, notably through short films and the spoken word.
The four Palestinian short film posters. Credit: Cinema Galeries
Filmistin's 'No Pride in Genocide' session aims to explore the concept of pinkwashing and will include four short films: 'I knocked on my home's door' (Matthew Khoury), 'Bleeding' (Moaad Gader), 'Borekas' (Saleh Saadi) and 'Mlukhiye' (Rami Fahel).
"Through the prism of Palestinian queer short films and discussions, we aim to examine the intersectionality of identity, resistance and solidarity," the organisers stated.
Find more information here.
'Frankenstein' (1931), CINEMATEK, until 14 April
James Whale's adaption of Mary Shelley's novel, published in 1818, is considered an American gothic horror genre classic and a strong contender for the greatest horror movie ever made in terms of influence and cultural impact.
Boris Karloff stars as Frankenstein's square-headed, bolt-necked monster made of body parts of the deceased, who escapes after coming alive, and wreaks havoc. The iconic scenes in this film adaptation resulted in it practically eclipsing Shelley's novel.
Find more information here.
'Drive-away Dolls' (2024), various cinemas and dates
A quirky, queer and captivating comedy by Ethan Coen tells the story of "two ladies going south". Jamie (Margaret Qualley) is an uninhibited free spirit who is bemoaning yet another breakup, and her demure friend Marian (Geraldine Viswanathan) desperately needs to loosen up.
In search of a fresh start, the two embark on an impromptu road trip to Tallahassee to escape their respective lives, but things quickly get out of hand when they cross paths with a group of inept criminals along the way.
Find more information here.
'True Stories: A Film About a Bunch of People in Virgil Texas' (1986), Cinema Nova, 7 and 27 April
To celebrate collecting enough money to buy its lease and secure its future for another 68 years, the iconic Cinema Nova is offering a jam-packed programme called 'Super, Nova!' from April to June. With such a wide array of films on offer, it can be difficult to choose, but we have picked out David Byrne's 'True Stories', in which he takes on the role of a cowboy-like master of ceremonies.
Showing the spectators around in the fictional Texan town of Virgil, Byrne's eccentric and idiosyncratic observations of small-town life, exaggerated satirical imagery, and surrealist sense of humour are sure to get you thinking.
With a deadpan tone and no real screenplay, Byrne drew inspiration from "true stories" he read in the newspapers to paint an oppressive picture of the United States.
Find more information and the full 'Super, Nova!' programme here.
Festivals
'One World', various cinemas, 15 to 19 April
This is the annual Brussels edition of the world's largest human rights film festival in Czechia, shedding light on subjects such as Russia's invasion of Ukraine, investigative journalism, political activism and gender discrimination.
This year's festival will open with the world-famous and Oscar-winning Ukrainian documentary '20 Days in Mariupol' (2023). Directed by by Mstyslav Chernov, it recounts the beginning of the invasion in February 2022, where journalists from the Associated Press remained in the besieged city of Mariupol, showing brutal and compelling scenes of the Russian troops' advance.
'20 Days in Mariupol' (Above) and 'Who if not us? The fight for democracy in Belarus' (Below). Credit: One World
Meanwhile, Juliane Tutein's 'Who if not us? The fight for democracy in Belarus' (2023) tells the story of the increasingly restrictive political climate in Belarus, with activists constantly facing imprisonment.
Find more information here.
'Scéal Eile', various cinemas, 22 to 28 April
'Scéal Eile' is an annual Irish Film Festival that showcases the best of Irish cinema and culture in Belgium. One unmissable screening is 'Stolen' (2023), a documentary that addresses the horrific legacy left behind by Ireland's 'mother and baby homes', providing crucial context for anyone looking to understand Ireland’s complicated past.
Between 1922 and 1998, these religious-run institutions engaged over 80,000 unmarried mothers in forced labour and forcibly separated them from their children, many of whom were sold to American adoptive families.
Credit: Scéal Eile
Lighter viewings will feature throughout the festival too. 'Róise & Frank' (2022) tells the tale of an Irish woman's strong and sudden connection to a stray dog, who she believes is her late husband reincarnated – a truly heartwarming account of a family’s pathway through grief.
Find more information here.
Other languages
'La Bête' (2023), various cinemas, until 9 April
'La Bête' ('The Beast') is a science-fiction romantic drama in French and English starring Léa Séydoux (Gabrielle) and George Mackay (Louis) as star-crossed (or rather time-crossed) lovers.
In an AI-dominant future where emotions are seen as a threat, Gabrielle embarks on a journey through time with the aim of freeing herself from the feelings she has for her lover. The film's narrative dances between dystopia and history all while stoking a fiery desire between the two protagonists.
Find more information here.
'Son of the Mullah' (2023), Cinema Aventure, 18 April
In 2019, Swedish-Iranian filmmaker Nahid Persson started filming the Iranian journalist Roohollah Zam, son of a high-ranking Iranian cleric (mullah). Zam turned against the regime at a young age and fled to France after a prison sentence to denounce corruption within the regime from Paris.
Persson expertly documents his life in exile, before Zam's tragic return to Iran and the horrors that await him there. This film also features in the One World festival programme above.
Find more information here.
With thanks to Lauren Walker, Maïthé Chini, Ciara Carolan and Thimoté Bozzetto.
