Director Lukas Dhont has selected five emerging Belgian filmmakers for Connext’s inaugural The Future Five initiative as part of Flanders Image’s annual film and TV showcase (October 9-10).
The filmmakers are Rand Abou-Fakher, whose 2020 short So We Live premiered in Berlinale; Cato Kusters, 2022 winner of best Belgian student short at Ghent with Finn’s Heel; Sarah Lederman, best known for short films The Roots Of Water and Miriam; Ammen Simpson Ogedengbe, whose The Children Of Never won best debut and a special mention at Leuven international short film festival; and Pol De Plecker, best known for Flemish short Noisetrain.
Presented in association with Screen International, Dhont introduced the filmmakers to the international industry today at Connext in Antwerp.
Dhont, director of the Camera d’Or-winnig Girl and the Oscar-nominated Close director is the first guest curator of the initiative which is expected to become an annual fixture of Connext and aims to introduce up-and-coming talent to international and national industry.
Dhont said he chose filmmakers “because the range of options otherwise would be too overwhelming. I decided to select writer-directors who inspire. The five I’ve chosen have created shorts that meant a great deal to me. Some I saw at film festivals, others I discovered at home. Each of them has a distinct voice and language.”
The director continued: “There is such a diversity of filmmakers in Belgium, whether they come from Syria, Poland, or have Belgian roots, shaping unique pieces. I revisited their work and selected those who invite us into their realities with a different representation of cinema. I’m incredibly lucky to share this moment with these five and to be able to say something about their work.”
”I want to accompany them on their journey if they allow it. Ultimately, I hope that audiences get to experience their work, and they engage with them.”
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