International Jury Film Fest Gent 2026 announced

Felix van Groeningen 

Felix van Groeningen (born 1977) is a Belgian filmmaker. Van Groeningen was trained in audiovisual arts at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of Ghent and graduated in 2000. His films include The Misfortunates (2009) which premiered at the Directors Fortnight in Cannes, The Broken Circle Breakdown (2012) which premiered at the Berlinale, and earned worldwide praise (among which a César and an Oscar nomination for Best Foreign Language film). He went on to make Belgica (2016) which won the World Cinema Directing Award at the Sundance Film Festival and Beautiful Boy (2018) which was van Groeningen’s first English language film. It was produced by Amazon and Plan B, Brad Pit’s production company. The Eight Mountains (co-directed with his partner Charlotte Vandermeersch) won the Jury Prize in Cannes in 2022, and was released worldwide to rave reviews. Since his graduation film 50CC (2000), van Groeningen has become a fixture at Film Fest Gent: both The Misfortunates (De Helaasheid der Dingen) and The Broken Circle Breakdown served as opening films for the festival's 36th and 39th editions. He brought the 45th edition to a powerful close with his first Hollywood film, Beautiful Boy. His next film, Let Love In, co-written again with Charlotte Vandermeersch, will be released early 2027. 

Sandra den Hamer

Sandra den Hamer is a prominent Dutch film executive who has played a transformative role in international cinema and the preservation of film culture. After early work managing film co-production initiatives like CineMart and the Hubert Bals Fund, she served as the director of the International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) from 1996 to 2007. In 2007, she became the director of the Eye Filmmuseum in Amsterdam, leading the institution through a major expansion, including its move to an iconic new building on the IJ riverfront in 2012, and expanding its global digital preservation efforts until stepping down in 2022. Recognised for her contributions to cinema culture, she was awarded a Golden Calf for Film Culture in 2015 and appointed an Officer in the Order of Orange-Nassau in 2022.

Nicole Vögele

Nicole Vögele is a Swiss filmmaker who meanders between investigative journalism, essay filmmaking and wondering what teaching in an art academy could be. As a journalist Nicole focuses mainly on collaborative investigative projects. She has been part of several acclaimed projects that revealed the systematic pushback practices at Europe's borders. As a filmmaker, Nicole tries to understand the world with essay documentaries, slowly, frame by frame. Her films have been screened at numerous international festivals. Closing Time (2018) was awarded at the Locarno Film Festival. The Landscape and the Fury (2024), which was also part of the official selection at the 51st edition of Film Fest Gent, won the Grand Prix at Visions du Réel, the Doc Alliance Award and was nominated for the European Film Award. Since 2021 Nicole is a professor for moving image at Dresden Academy of Fine Arts.

Lous and the Yakuza

Lous and the Yakuza is the stage name of Marie-Pierra Kakoma, a Congolese-Belgian singer, songwriter, model, and artist who achieved international success with her blend of trap, R&B, and pop. Born in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, she grew up in both Rwanda and Belgium. In 2019, she released her breakout hit "Dilemme," followed by the critically acclaimed debut album Gore in 2020. She is known for her expressive French-language lyrics, striking visual style, and prominent, active role in creative direction. Through this, she has established herself as a versatile, multidisciplinary artist, not only in music but also in fashion, art, and television. She also made her film debut with a cameo as a DJ in John Wick: Chapter 4.

Jaume Claret Muxart

Jaume Claret Muxart (Sant Cugat del Vallès, 1998) is a filmmaker whose debut feature, Estrany riu (Strange River) (2025), premiered in the Orizzonti section of the Venice International Film Festival and at the San Sebastián International Film Festival. The film received seven Gaudí Award nominations, two Goya Award nominations, and the 2025 Premi Ciutat de Barcelona. It went on to screen at more than forty international festivals, including MoMA, the Lincoln Center in New York, the Tokyo IFF, Viennale, FF Gent, and the Karlovy Vary IFF, before receiving commercial releases in several countries. A graduate of the Elías Querejeta Zine Eskola, he has directed the short films Ella i jo (2020), Die Donau (2023), and La nostra habitació (2025), which have been selected for national and international festivals, including the IFF Rotterdam. Last year he personally participated in the official competition of Film Fest Gent with Strange River.

Official Competition

Which films will take home the top prizes? One thing is certain: the winners will emerge from a sharp selection of films, which spans a wide range of styles and genres. The International Jury awards the Grand Prix for Best Film and the Georges Delerue Award for Best Soundtrack or Sound Design. The winnings films will receive a distribution prize of €20.000 and €10.000, respectively. 

Like every year, Film Fest Gent also focuses on film music, an often underestimated branch of the film industry. During the festival there are unique concerts on the programme in which film music can take the leading role, but the selection of competition films also includes many films that stand out because of their remarkable score or strong sound design. With this, Film Fest Gent emphasises the importance of the score as “third character”.

“In October 2023, a jury convened in Ghent chaired by Sébastien Lifshitz, with members including Lukas Dhont, Jacqueline Lentzou, and Colin Stetson. Three editions later, Dhont is opening our festival, Lifshitz is presenting his new documentary in the Art(ists) on Film section, and Lentzou’s new film, featuring music by Stetson, is part of this competition. They join eleven other competition films, each one a personal favorite discovered during our programming search over the past few months. These are films where the music is never merely music: Colin Stetson laying a cosmic layer beneath an Athenian school day; Abdullah Ibrahim’s piano holding a family together across Paris and Guinea-Bissau; a video game tune in Sandra Wollner’s film that imperceptibly transforms into the score. There is a Ramones cover, a string quartet that makes the inner workings of a mind affected by dementia audible, and a South African debut that derives its structure directly from the Goldberg Variations. This makes the selection a perfect fit for the DNA of Film Fest Gent. Listen closely here, and you will see more.” – Wim De Witte, Programme Director