Disney and Pixar's new animated feature 'Soul' will close the 47th edition of Film Fest Ghent

The 47th edition of Film Fest Ghent will close with the highly anticipated film, Disney and Pixar's Soul, directed by Pete Docter and co-directed by Kemp Powers. Pixar's latest revelation is an accessible, enchanting and above all heart-warming escapade that also happens to ask some of life's biggest questions. An ode to living, Soul is peppered with incredible music by jazz artist Jon Batiste and represents the perfect closing film for Film Fest Ghent 2020.

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Film Fest Ghent 2020 announces full programme

Film Fest Ghent’s distinctive, varied and adventurous programme for 2020, based on a few unconventional choices, clearly shows that the festival has refused to be discouraged by the coronavirus crisis. The programme includes a revelatory focus on German film, pays continued attention to short film and gender issues, and introduces a new section: 'Official Selection: Masters & New Voices'. We welcome, as our international guests, Viggo Mortensen and Maïwenn. Moreover, Jérémie Renier will come down from Brussels. In addition, Film Fest Ghent pays homage to the recently deceased Robbe De Hert, with the screening of his Dood van een Sandwichman (Death of a Sandwichman) and De Bom (The Bomb).

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'Drunk' by Thomas Vinterberg will be the opening film at the 47th edition of Film Fest Ghent

Drunk, the latest dark comedy by Danish director Thomas Vinterberg will kick off the 47th edition of Film Fest Ghent. The film received a Cannes label after the festival was cancelled and had its world premiere in Toronto last week. For the seventh time, Film Fest Ghent will present a film by Dogme 95 filmmaker Vinterberg, who walked the red carpet in Ghent two years ago. On 13 October, Drunk will be screened as the Official Opening Film of Film Fest Ghent 2020.

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Golden Lion winner 'Nomadland' and 'Vitalina Varela' selected for the Official Competition of Film Fest Ghent

Nomadland, winner of the Golden Lion Award in Venice last weekend, and Pedro Costa's Vitalina Varela will compete among an international selection of films for the Grand Prix for Best Film and the Georges Delerue Award for Best Music and Sound Design at the 47th edition of Film Fest Ghent. The competition will be opened by the avant-premiere of the Belgian film L'ennemi, inspired by a true story. 

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These are the nominees for the 20th anniversary edition of the World Soundtrack Awards!

The World Soundtrack Academy proudly presents this year's nominees for the renowned WSAwards. The wide range of selected composers includes our guest of honour Alexandre Desplat, Thomas Newman, Benjamin Wallfisch and John Williams. Moreover, last year's Television Composer of the Year, Hildur Guðnadóttir, is now nominated for the Film Composer of the Year Award. Meanwhile, the 2019 Film Composer of the Year, Nicholas Britell, has received a nomination for the WSAward for TV Composer of the Year for his Succession score. As this demonstrates the blurring boundaries between film, television and other audiovisual media, the World Soundtrack Awards will more than ever celebrate the art of composition for screen.

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Film Fest Ghent honours film composers with album ‘World Soundtrack Awards: Tribute to the Film Composer’

To celebrate the twentieth anniversary of the World Soundtrack Awards, Film Fest Ghent devotes its annual album to all thirteen winners of the coveted World Soundtrack Film Composer of the Year Award over the past two decades. The album will be released on 23 October 2020 and is called World Soundtrack Awards: Tribute to the Film Composer. Just as WSA’s previous albums, the music is performed by Brussels Philharmonic and conducted by maestro Dirk Brossé.

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Relive film classics The Shining and Solaris with a novel score during VIDEODROOM 2020

Film Fest Ghent will explore the cross-pollination between film and music at its 47th edition with VIDEODROOM 2020. In collaboration with Kunstencentrum Vooruit, the festival will present film classics such as Solaris, Koyaanisqatsi and The Shining while giving them a VIDEODROOM make-over. Live music concerts and performances will propose experimental perspectives on the film canon while offering unforgetable experiences.

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Golden Bear winner and Venice entries 'I Am Greta' and 'Mandibules' at the 47th edition of Film Fest Ghent

Film Fest Ghent unveils some of what the 47th edition in October has to offer. Adapted to the circumstances and safety regulations, this corona-proof edition will offer a platform to cinema from all over the world, including this year's Golden Bear winner There Is No Evil by Mohammad Rasoulof. In addition, this year's programme takes a fascinating look at cinematographic developments in neighbouring Germany, including Undine by Christian Petzold. Roméo Elvis' acting debut in Mandibules and the adaptation of the novel Kom hier dat ik u kus stand out as proof of local talent.

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Get your Film Fest Ghent festival brochure

The Knack Focus FFG festival brochure gives you the full overview to discover the full programme of the 47th edition of Film Fest Ghent. 

The brochures are being printed at the moment and are available from next week onwards on several locations: libraries in Ghent, cultural centres, our festival locations (Sphinx, Vooruit, Kinepolis, Miry Concerthall) and in bars and restaurants in Ghent. Also outside of Ghent you will be able to find your copy: locations will be specified next week. 

Can't wait? Read the digital version of our festival brochure here. 

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'Hot Summer' cinema in open-air at the Bijloke site

From the 22nd until the 26th of July, Film Fest Ghent organizes a series of open-air film screenings with the main theme of 'Hot Summer' in the lovely Bijloke site in Ghent, kicking off the summer festival BIJLOKE WONDERLAND.

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Alexandre Desplat and Gabriel Yared guests of honour for 20th World Soundtrack Awards

The 20th anniversary edition of the World Soundtrack Awards will be celebrated in a special way. Adapted to current circumstances, this year's WSA will be an online edition, livestreamed from Kinepolis Ghent, where the ceremony itself will take place. This will give the festival's international audience the chance to enjoy the award ceremony and concert from everywhere around the world in a safe and corona-proof manner. The World Soundtrack Awards will be the closing event of Film Fest Ghent.

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Film Fest Ghent reveals campaign poster for 47th corona-proof edition

More than four months ahead of the festival, Film Fest Ghent is releasing the campaign poster of its 47th edition: this year it is a double portrait of film icon Romy Schneider and German actor August Diehl, referring to the focus on German cinema in this year's festival programme. During the festival edition in October, safety first will be our motto and we will take into account all the measures against the corona virus that will be in force at that time.

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Why German cinema today is more provoking than ever

For its 47th programme, Film Fest Ghent is looking at the cinematographic lay of the land in neighbouring country Germany. Programme Director Wim De Witte and programmer Michiel Philippaerts delineate why the contemporary cinema of our neighbours is so extremely compelling. "It is certain that the diversity has never been so great."

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FFG2020 strives for collective film experience, even in times of Covid-19

For several weeks now, we have all been living a different reality: we face an unprecedented health crisis, and we see the enormous damage it is causing worldwide. Film Fest Ghent empathizes with all those affected and hopes that the solidarity with those who are struggling and with those who are committed to the public interest will survive in post-corona times.

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Deadline for submission for Belgian Student Shorts postponed to 29 September

The ultimate deadline for submission for the competition of Best Belgian Student Short has been postponed from 7 to 29 September, due to the uncertainty caused by Covid-19. As such, Film Fest Ghent abides with the film schools who have postponed their deadlines for graduation projects, in order to accomodate students and future filmmakers.

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Film Fest Ghent listed within the top 50 film festivals worth the Entry Fee!

Film magazine Movie Maker listed Film Fest Ghent on their 2020 list of 50 Film Festivals Worth the Entry Fee. This list is directed at film producers and directors in the industry and helps them find the right film festivals that can be a tipping point in their career.

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Krzysztof Penderecki, the composer that crossed many boundaries

Film has made avant-garde composer Krzysztof Penderecki world famous. Starting as two separate sources of inspiration, film and music became one and enriched each other. Precisely for this reason, Penderecki received a Lifetime Achievement Award of the World Soundtrack Academy, last year at Film Fest Ghent 2019.

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Create a new score and participate in the WSA Film Music Composition Contest

Film Fest Ghent now accepts registrations and submissions for the 19th edition of the World Soundtrack Awards Film Music Composition Contest. This year we invite participants to write an original composition for a selected excerpt from 'J'ai perdu mon corps' ('I Lost My Body'), Jérémy Clapin's 2019 film (which was part of the Official Competition at Film Fest Ghent 2019). The deadline for submissions is 31 May 2020. The winner will receive the Sabam Award for the Most Original Composition by a Young International Composer.

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Öndög to be released in Belgium thanks to first prize at Film Fest Gent

'Öndög' by the Chinese director and Golden Bear winner Wang Quan’an ('Tuya's Marriage') will come to the Belgian cinemas in mid-May. 'Öndög' won the main prize during the last edition of Film Fest Gent in October 2019: the Grand Prix for Best Film. This recognition convinced film distributor MOOOV to distribute the film in the Benelux.

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WSA-awards as a leg up to a higher podium

She was nominated for the World Soundtrack Discovery of the Year Award and has now received the Oscar for best original score. In between, she also picked up a Bafta, a World Soundtrack Award, an Emmy and a Grammy. In recent months things have been moving fast for Icelandic composer and cellist Hildur Guðnadóttir. Proof once again that the World Soundtrack Academy has an eye and a good ear for new talent.

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Dirk Brossé celebrates multiples of 20: 60 years of age, a career spanning 40 years and 20 years of WSA in 2020

This year, multiples of twenty play a major role in the life of our music director Dirk Brossé: not only can he blow out 60 candles on 18 February, but it is also the 40th year of his thriving career. On top of that, he will celebrate the 20th edition of the World Soundtrack Awards, which he will be conducting again in 2020.

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20th anniversary edition World Soundtrack Awards on 24 October 2020 at Capitole Gent

In 2020, the World Soundtrack Awards (WSA) will take place on Saturday 24 October at Capitole Gent. Next year, Film Fest Gent is celebrating the 20th anniversary of the World Soundtrack Awards. As is traditional, the WSA gala will close the 47th edition of the festival.

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'Marco Beltrami: Music for Film' CD now available to order

Already dubbed "the film music album of 2019", Film Fest Gent's 'Marco Beltrami: Music for Film' is the first compilation album of Marco Beltrami's film music. The CD features new recordings performed by Brussels Philharmonic and conducted by Dirk Brossé.

Get your copy here!

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Alejandro Landes' 'Monos' wins the Explore Zone Award

On Wednesday evening, 'Monos' received the Georges Delerue Award for Best Music and Sound Design. On Thursday, director Alejandro Landes received more good news. The Explore Zone Jury –made up of adolescents between 18 and 26 years old – has chosen his mystery-thriller fusion film as the winner of the Explore Zone Award.

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