Johan Daisne: 10 films, 10 bioscopen

Johan Daisne (1912-1978, alias Herman Thiery) was chief librarian of the public library in Ghetn. He wrote in the tradition known as magic realism, with best-sellers as De trap van steen en wolken and De man die zijn haar kort liet knippen. Apart from a devotion to books he was exceptionally passionated by film. He was a collector of all kinds of film documentation and classified even the smallest cuttings in his personal archive. He rewrote the movies he went to see in his published "filmatieken" as he called them. His philosophy of life and his artistic principles are put forth more clearly in these writings than in his fictional work.

A selection of ten movies which he worshipped or abused are shown during the film festival and are illustrated at the exhibition using documents from Daisne's archive, kept at the University Library of Ghent. The Ghent cinemas which Daisne used to visit have all disappeared - but for one. One may catch a glimpse of the old glory of ten of the movie theaters which he frequented from old photographs. The exhibition is open to the public at the Sint-Pieters abbey every day from 10am. till 5pm, between September 22nd and October 15th. (Except on Mondays.)

In connection with the exhibition there is a city walk along some of the old cinemas or at least along the remains of them. The once splendid interior of the Capitole can, for instance, be visited. The walks are planned on the 8th and 15th of October, starting at 10am. and again at 2pm. at the Sint-Pieters abbey (infodesk, Sint-Pietersplein 9) and lasting about two hours.