Viewpoint Documentary Film Festival 2023

Studio Skoop/De Filmplaneet vzw richtte in 1994 het VIEWPOINT DOCUMENTAIR FILMFESTIVAL op, uit een passie voor de documentaire film en om haar publiek de kans te geven om deze spraakmakende films in de cinema te kunnen beleven. VIEWPOINT werd 9 jaar op rij een succes en bouwde internationaal een uitstekende reputatie op, dankzij een sterke, kwalitatieve en onafhankelijke filmselectie. In 2003 kwam er (tijdelijk) een einde aan het Viewpoint-verhaal.

Geïnspireerd door dit originele initiatief werd het festival in 2018 geherlanceerd. VIEWPOINT wil opnieuw een platform geven aan mensen met een alternatieve kijk op de wereld. Hierbij krijgen zowel beginnende als ervaren documentairemakers wereldwijd een plaats. Het is de bedoeling om opnieuw een warme, open sfeer te creëren waarbinnen filmmakers, fans, critici en producers samen films kunnen bekijken van aankomende talenten, nieuwe stijlen en technieken kunnen ontdekken en bekronen.

Op het programma staan korte en lange documentaires uit alle hoeken van de wereld. Tickets zijn hieronder en aan de kassa van Studio Skoop verkrijgbaar. Ze kosten slechts 6 euro per vertoning, inclusief een gratis drankje in het Skoop Café, want deze films kunnen niet zonder nabespreking.

Alle info over Viewpoint vindt u op www.viewpointdocfest.com.

TRAILER

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DIT IS HET PROGRAMMA:

VIEWPOINT OPENING NIGHT
Op maandag 17/04 om 20u00
Klik hier voor tickets: Viewpoint Opening Night

‘Together’ (Portugal) by Marco Espirito Santo, Del Reginato
‘Together’ is a creative short film challenging us all to be better and to fight for a world of greater equality and respect. Shot in 16mm, the film utilises handwritten typography and a simple score of jazz drums to focus the viewer’s attention on musician Carla Prata’s spoken-word performance. Running time: 00:01:50.

‘Bij Elkaar’ (Belgium) by Jasmine Issa
A brother and sister going on a trip to a time where they had to flee from their alcoholic dad. Running time: 00:14:51.

‘West’ (Belgium) by Nina Leeuwerck
Few people still live on the rural lands of the Westhoek in Ypres, Belgium. Many are farmers, but these people no longer really fit the definition of farmers. The glory of their large farms has long since passed. The animals are sold or no longer used because they can no longer cope. They look back on their past and are nostalgic for those golden days. A portrait of the landscapes where I grew up as a little girl. Running time: 00:19:48.

‘From Moerbeke with Love’ (Belgium) by Laura De Baudringhien
Far away from home in a small Flemish village, Marta and her female colleagues are planting the seeds for the future of their (grand)children back home in Poland. Through her repetitive and physical work, Marta tries to stay connected and take care of her family. Stuck between east and west, distance and closeness, we follow her during two seasons. Running time: 00:22:00.

‘Jaime’ (Belgium) by Francisco Javier Rodriguez
Jaime, a 33 years old man, has been in a mental institution for almost half of his life. Through a series of conversations, Jaime shares his world view, his fears, feats and a secret. Running time: 00:37:00.

THE MESS WE MAKE + SHORTS
Op dinsdag 18/04 om 20u00
Klik hier voor tickets: The Mess We Make + shorts

‘Vegetative’ (France) by Hannah Papacek Harper
‘Vegetative’ is a short visual poem; an experimental video which was created during the first Covid19 lockdown in spring 2020. This abstract piece plays with text and video and brings a dreamlike inner space into being. It explores the rapport toward nature and intimacy that we were forced to change abruptly. Running time: 00:00:47.

‘Forget Me Not’ (Italy) by Giuseppe Petruzzellis, Fabio Marin
Gilda is a middle aged woman, mother and wife. One day she realizes she’s having problems setting the table. These are her first symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease. Through family footage and poetic visions, the stages of her illness become a stream of images on the breach of oblivion. Running time: 00:12:30.

‘The Mess We Make’ (Netherlands) by Allard Detiger
After twenty years of minimal contact with his borderline mother, filmmaker Allard Detiger is called by the police. His mother’s neighbours have been complaining. Her house is totally neglected, and professional help is needed immediately. From that moment onwards, Allard feels responsible to make sure that his mother receives professional care, but he gets increasingly entangled in the trauma of his own childhood. As his mother’s condition deteriorates, the walls that he had built between them fade. Allard is forced to take a critical look at himself, and face his own trauma, to prevent him from passing it on to his young daughter. Filmed over a period of more than 10 years, ‘The Mess We Make’ is an intimate documentary about a child’s struggle to be independent from a parent who won’t let go. Running time: 01:25:00.

DOCUMENTARY SHORTS
Op woensdag 19/04 om 20u00
Klik hier voor tickets: Documentary Shorts

Evermore (Belgium) by Gilles Van Damme, Anouck Ramaut
Evermore tells the story of three young-adults: Eline, Kodou and Dries. A few years ago they all lost a parent due to a long-term illness. They share how they’ve processed that loss and what difficulties occurred during that process. They all found their own way to give their sorrow a place. Running time: 00:13:42.

Down to the Bottom (USA) by Carina Miller
An unflinching, 13-minute look at alcohol use disorder and its impact. The short documentary pulls from conversations between a father and daughter recorded in 2022. Running time: 00:13:15.

Heimat (Italy) by Giovanni Montagnana
A soldier surrounded by the Enemy and ultimately trapped in the City writes his last letter home. Running time: 00:20:00.

Dancing with Rosa (Spain) by Robert Muñoz Rupérez
At 84 years of age, Rosa realises that she no longer has the strength to take care of her daughter Eva who has Down syndrome, and she struggles to decide whether or not to put her into a care home. In this intimate portrait, we follow Rosa’s pain of indecision and her unique way of coping. Running time: 00:26:00.

The Mechanics of Fluids (France) by Gala Hernández López
In 2018, an incel called Anathematic Anarchist posted a suicide letter on Reddit entitled “America is responsible for my death”. The documentary “The Mechanics of Fluids” is an attempt to find answers to his words. A virtual drift through the internet in search of his digital traces that ends up being an inner journey between our connected solitudes. Running time: 00:35:00.

BEAST + SHORTS
Op donderdag 20/04 om 20u00
Klik hier voor tickets: Beast + shorts

Dear Doctor, (UK) by Jasmina Saleh
A visual poem about the pain and misdiagnosis of Endometriosis - utilising striking imagery and raw words to combine an effective and poignant piece. Running time: 00:03:45.

I Never Had Dreams of My Son (Ukraine) by Jason Blevins
After five years of war, a Ukrainian father finds proof his missing son may still be alive in captivity. Running time: 00:16:16.

Beast (Belgium) by Joost Laperre, Jillis Schriel
Beast tells the story of a tragic hero, Walter Arfeuille and his lifelong quest for recognition. Once he was the world’s strongest “teeth performer” – pulling, a horseshoe in the mouth, trams, trains and airplanes. To this day he holds the record for lifting weight, by using his teeth. 69-year-old Walter insist on proving himself, even though he no longer has the strong physique from before. Running time: 01:12:34.

BERLIN BYTCH LOVE + SHORTS
Op vrijdag 21/04 om 20u00
Klik hier voor tickets: Berlin Bytch Love + shorts

Moscow State Circus (USA) by Joshua Van Horn
A short profile on the bears of the Moscow State Circus based on a passage by John McPhee. Running time: 00:01:02.

The Pleasure in Pain (UK) by Curtis Blair
An arthouse documentary short following key figures of the London kink scene on an exploration into BDSM and the notorious fetish event Klub Verboten. The film touches upon themes of psychology, neurodiversity, trauma, LGBTQ+ rights and black representation. Running time: 00:14:55.

Berlin Bytch Love (Germany) by Heiko Aufdermauer, Johannes Girke
Sophie (15) and Dominik (17) ran away from home to live their love on the streets of Berlin for a summer. Now Sophie is pregnant, winter is coming and the police are looking for the two. A documentary snapshot of growing up - told like a feature film. Running time: 01:26:00.

CHAYLLA + SHORTS
Op zaterdag 22/04 om 20u00
Klik hier voor tickets: Chaylla + short

Red Cross - “After prison” (Norway) by Irene Tausvik
An animation film told through the eyes of children who have experienced their fathers serving time in prison. This is a story about the “after prison” phase. Running time: 00:01:11.

The Shell (Bosnia and Herzegovina) by Marko Lončarević
After finding out that her mother is being abused and neglected by her caretakers, Milica travels from Sarajevo to the small village near Tuzla where she was born. There is a special bond between mother and daughter but also a lot of obstacles. Running time: 00:20:21.

Chaylla (France) by Clara Teper, Paul Pirritano
Lens, in northern France. Chaylla, a 23-year-old woman, is trying to break free from an abusive relationship. She is ready to fight – to gain custody of her children, to have her ordeals vindicated. But, deep inside, she still harbours a lingering hope of becoming a family again with her ex-partner. From legal battles to inner struggles, “Chaylla” portrays four years in the life of a young woman, whose longing for freedom and burning desire for justice are enmeshed with the mechanisms of abusive control and dependency. Running time: 01:12:00.

PETITES + SHORTS
Op zondag 23/04 om 20u00
Klik hier voor tickets: Petites + shorts

Amato (Canada) by Romy
Amato is about the diversity of polyamorous models in the Quebec portrait. Three unique and interrelated stories are staged through performing arts. Running time: 00:08:07.

Limits (Switzerland) by Simon de Diesbach
In a forest he digitized, Simon runs. Within an autobiographical narrative where the images were entirely captured in the forest of Chaney in Switzerland, running embodies the intimate link between the protagonist and the forest, a forest that has witnessed a multitude of personal events and that is now being destroyed by a gravel pit. Immersed in a fragmented world, Simon questions the reasons that pushed him to 3D scan his forest. He questions his relationship with the living world, with the limits of matter, and with the limits of digital representations of nature. Running time: 00:07:40.

Petites (Belgium) by Pauline Beugnies
The collective story of the Dutroux Affair, told by the generation of children of the 90s. Their memories are distorted by the media prism and their own childlike eyes. Together, they deliver an intimate version of history. A piece of collective memory. Running time: 01:23:00.

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VORIGE EDITIES

• 1994-2003
• 2018
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• 2021
• 2022