Back by popular demand! In “Leuven '68,” we look back on the turbulent years from 1966 to 1968, years in which a widely supported, intense student revolt shook the country to its very foundations. The revolt, a harbinger of a wave of student revolts worldwide, was both a reaction against the rigid, authoritarian policies of the bishops and a struggle for an autonomous Dutch-language university in Flanders. It was both a struggle for emancipation, participation, and democratization and a fierce language struggle. “Leuven '68” is a rare moment in history when the left, center, and right revolted together. The consequences of the student revolt were not limited to the city and the university, but had a decisive impact on the course of the country. Both politically and socially, “Leuven '68” represents a watershed moment in history.

Spoken language(s): Dutch, French 

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In 2019, filmmaker Lou Ye and his regular team set to work on an unfinished feature film from ten years ago. But when Covid-19 confined them all to their hotel rooms, his film turned into a chronicle of an extraordinary period. What began as a professional production became a collection of phone videos that virtually connected the film crew. 

An Unfinished Film is a challenging frame narrative in which fact and fiction are constantly intertwined. On the one hand, it is the result of a creative process—hampered by the exceptional circumstances of Covid-19—and on the other, it is also a unique look at a historically significant and politically charged moment in Chinese history, when group formation was seen by the Chinese government as a threat to the state and society. Lou palpably evokes the fear and paranoia that the world experienced at the beginning of the pandemic – bringing out our best and worst impulses – and highlights our greatly changed relationship with images in a post-Covid world. Exciting, witty and, above all, tragic.

Spoken language: Mandarin

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Seita and Setsuko, two young Japanese children, live in the aftermath of World War II. When they are separated from their parents by an American firebombing raid, the brother and sister can only find support in each other. As the situation in the completely devastated city of Kobe worsens and food becomes increasingly scarce, Seita and Setsuko embark on a desperate struggle for survival. 

Spoken language: Japanese

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The morning after his wedding night, Kersten receives a phone call: his father has died. This immediately reveals the first lie in their relationship, because Kersten had claimed to be an orphan. He is forced to travel to his native village in the Danish countryside, to his father's dilapidated farm. There he finds his mentally disabled brother Rud, who is completely distraught. It is clear that Rud cannot be left to fend for himself, but Kersten feels the pressure from his wife and in-laws. The best solution seems to be to hire a governess for Rud. And so Liva, a young ex-prostitute, comes to live with them. But Liva has her own secrets...

Spoken language: Danish 

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