Julian

The greatest love stories often begin with the subtlest glance, a fleeting moment of eye contact that changes everything forever. Madly in love, Fleur and Julian have big news: they’re getting married. That evening, Fleur suggests they tie the knot everywhere they can, in every country where it’s legal. What starts as a wild dream soon grows into an ambitious plan: Project 22, the ultimate testament to a love without borders. Driven by an ever-deepening sense of urgency, they take the leap and embark on a truly unique wedding journey. But after just four ceremonies, their project comes to a painful, inevitable halt.

Julian is the striking feature debut of Belgian filmmaker Cato Kusters, who won the Award for Best Belgian Student Short at FFG2022 with her film Finn's Heel. With great sensitivity, Kusters tells a story that transcends cinema itself. At a time when LGBTQIA+ rights are under pressure worldwide, Julian stands as an authentic plea for humanity, and for love. Kusters drew inspiration from the memoirs of writer, artist, and activist Fleur Pierets, who in 2017 set out with her partner Julian P. Boom on a performance art project: a global tour of love across 22 countries.

Kusters proves herself a natural-born storyteller, whispering to us an intimate tale that feels both deeply personal and profoundly universal. She gave actors Nina Meurisse and Laurence Roothooft an old camcorder to shoot their own footage. These images speak the language of memory, where, just as in our minds (and in Fleur Pierets’ original book), past and present flow seamlessly into one another. Kusters weaves timelines together, letting her debut drift gently from the now into recollection, from recollection into melancholy. That feeling is heightened by the score from composers Evgueni and Sasha Galperine, known for their work on the Netflix series Baby Reindeer.

Kusters co-wrote the screenplay with Angelo Tijssens, who previously scripted Lukas Dhont’s Girl and Close. Julian also marks the very first production from The Reunion, the new production company founded by Michiel and Lukas Dhont.