Screen Flanders invests in 15 new projects

The list of supported projects includes nine feature films, three drama series, two animated films and one animated series. In this way, Screen Flanders is supporting the feature film debut of Anthony Nti and Chingiz Karibekov (Da Yie, Boi) and new projects by Flemish directors Stijn Coninx (Niet schieten, Daens), Anthony Schatteman (Young Hearts, High Tides 3) and Wouter Bouvijn (1985, Ten Monks). A live-action family film based on Annie M.G. Schmidt’s Floddertje (Scrumple) and an animated film adapted from the graphic novel Melvile are also receiving funding, as are two genre films: Amy by theatre company Abattoir Fermé (Hotel Poseidon) and Shiny New World.

Nine fiction films are receiving funding within this call: Amy, Anochece (Lorca), Darlings!, Scrumple (Floddertje), Oh Lovely Belgium, Paradiso, Postcard, Shiny New World and Strokes Of Madness. In addition, Screen Flanders is also investing in two animated films (Tummy Tom's Spring Surprise and Melvile), three fiction series (Clash, Daughters and We Are Family) and one animated series (Olga).

Nine projects are majority Flemish (or Belgian) and six projects are minority Flemish.

Melvile

The ambitious animated film Melvile is an adaptation of Romain Renard’s award-winning graphic novel Melvile, l’histoire de Ruth Jacob. The script was written by Renard himself together with screenwriter Olivier Tollet (his collaborator on the series Ethernel) and producer Anne-Laure Guégan. Romain Renard is a creative jack-of-all-trades who is also active in games, theatre productions, acting (Marie Antoinette) and composing (Ethernel, Miranda). He will co-direct the film with Fabrice Nzinzi, who was character designer on feature films such as Heart of Darkness and art director on Spike Lee: The Last King of Brooklyn. The voice cast features big names such as Melvil Poupad, Vicky Krieps, Olivier Gourmet and Bouli Lanners.

Melvile is produced by Brussels-based Need Productions and the Flemish company Walking The Dog, in co-production with Special Touch Studios in France, Unité Centrale in Canada and Fabrique d’Images in Luxembourg. Proximus, RTBF and ARTE are on board as co-producing broadcasters. International sales are handled by Best Friend Forever.

For this major international collaboration, Walking The Dog Studio will set up the entire production pipeline. The characteristic charcoal effect found in the successful graphic novel is also an essential graphic and artistic element for the film, and will be designed, developed and made usable as a tool by the Flemish studio. This will be achieved using 3D motion capture, combined with 2D animation.

Tummy Tom's Spring Surprise is produced by Catpaw Productions in the Netherlands, in co-production with the Flemish company Eyeworks Film & TV Drama. In the Netherlands, Tummy Tom's Spring Surprise is being released in cinemas by In The Air Films, while in Flanders the distributor is KFD. Ketnet will broadcast the four films. International sales are handled by Incredible Film.

Olga

Olga is an adventurous, funny animated series for children aged six to nine, based on the award-winning series of graphic novels by Elise Gravel that begins with Olga and the Smelly Thing from Nowhere. The series follows Olga, a young zoologist who discovers an alien, whom she names Meh. Meh is a funny, unpredictable creature who turns Olga’s life completely upside down.

Amy

Four searching souls head to a remote, overgrown estate for a promising but vague therapeutic weekend led by the flamboyant Amy – funeral director, life coach, therapist and shaman. The spiritual workshop soon derails into a series of bizarre, dangerous and occult trials.

Strokes of Madness

Strokes of Madness is a coming-of-age drama. Wolf, a brilliant but vulnerable violinist, moves to the big city to prepare for the Queen Elisabeth Competition, but ends up in a psychiatric ward. To his 13-year-old sister Anke, he is a hero; to his neighbour Sophia, an unexpected love; but to himself, Wolf remains a boy caught up in his psychosis and the pressure of his talent.

The screenplay is rooted in the personal story of filmmaker Lander Haverals, who co-wrote the screenplay with Dominique Van Malder. The pair will also co-direct the film. The cast includes Thibaud Dooms, Dara Oguntubi, Janne Desmet, Wim Willaert and Dominique Van Malder. Strokes of Madness is produced by the Flemish company Menuetto in co-production with the Walloon company Tarantula, Volya Films in the Netherlands and Mistrus Media in Latvia.

Anochece (Lorca) – working title

Summer 1936. As Spain slides into civil war, the poet Federico García Lorca leaves the turbulent city of Madrid behind and seeks refuge in his hometown of Granada. But the illusion of safety vanishes when an armed group storms his hideout and takes him away without explanation.

Darlings!

Darlings! is a razor-sharp comedy about a family whose perfect façade comes crashing down with a thunderous roar. Inside their immaculate villa in the Gooi, Commander Marten and image consultant Evelien play the leading roles in a perfectly staged family portrait: polished, photoshopped and entirely to their liking. But their three children are fed up with being mere props in this production. An unannounced visit from Marten’s boss lays bare that tension in one fell swoop. What begins as a generational conflict escalates into a ruthless war in which no one can hide behind the family smile any longer.

Darlings! is produced by 2CFILM in the Netherlands in co-production with Potemkino Port in Flanders. Michel Bonset wrote the screenplay, Martijn Smits is directing. Splendid is distributing the film in the Benelux. Thirty of the 35 shooting days will take place in the Flanders Region, made up of 25 days in the studio at AED in Lint and five days of location shooting.

Scrumple

Scrumple (Floddertje) is an original, cheerful live-action family film based on the well-known children’s book by Annie M.G. Schmidt. The film combines the iconic IP with slapstick and the acrobatics of theatre group The Ashton Brothers. Tijs Van Marle wrote the screenplay, and Jamille Van Wijgaarden is directing. Scrumple is produced by Lemming Film in the Netherlands in co-production with Lemming Film Belgium and Stellar Film from Estonia. Independent is distributing the film in the Benelux, while Attraction Distribution is handling international sales.

Paradiso

Jayden is the eldest of five children, whose divorced parents are struggling to make ends meet. When his mother is arrested in a shop due to a misunderstanding, Jayden and his sisters set out to find their father, Ricardo, to rescue her from this predicament.

This realistic drama is a co-production between the Dutch company Conijn Film and the Flemish company Quetzalcoatl. The screenplay is by Martijn Maria Smits, who also directs. Filming will take place in Antwerp. Imagine Film Distributie will release Paradiso in the Benelux.

Shiny New World

Shiny New World is a surprising and quirky horror comedy by director Jan van Gorkum. Fifty-year-old Barry, a carpenter who’s going through a rough patch, becomes entangled in a bloody world full of demons in human form and an eccentric cleaning company run by these creatures to protect their community.

We Are Family

We Are Family is an emotional rollercoaster about kinship, family ties and true love, from the creative team behind the internationally successful series 1985.

We Are Family is a Flemish production by Eyeworks Film & TV Drama in collaboration with VRT. The idea for the series came from screenwriter Julie Bovendaerde. She developed the script further with Willem Wallyn. Wouter Bouvijn is directing the series. All 54 days of filming will take place in Flanders, specifically in the Ghent region.