Film Fest Ghent will reach further then ever by launching a brandnew online VOD platform. During the festival period, film fans, based in Belgium, can watch and experience 60 full-length films - about half of the entire FFG2020 offer - at home too. These films are also supplemented with pre-recorded Q&As with filmmakers and actors who are unable to come to Ghent due to Covid-19.
Online.filmfestival.be is an online video-on-demand platform that will offer a selection from the film program during the festival period (from Tuesday 13 October 8:00 pm to Sunday 25 October). A total of 60 films will be available, complemented by interviews with directors, actors and actresses, including Nina Hoss, Radu Jude, Noah Saveedra, Waad al-Kateab, and many more. As such, the full festival experience will be pursued, also for those who watch online.
Countering the limited capacity
With the Kijk Online platform (online.filmfestival.be), Film Fest Ghent counters the limited capacity in theaters during this corona-proof edition. For safety measures, the capacity this year is limited to 50% with an absolute maximum of 200 sold tickets per screening.
Everywhere in Belgium
Also for people for whom Ghent is too far away - cinephiles from the German speaking part of Belgium who want to enjoy our focus on German cinema, for example - the online film platform is the ideal opportunity to experience Film Fest Ghent.
Programme director Wim De Witte: "Even though we still prefer the power of film on the silver screen as an immersive art form - and everything that comes with it at such a festival - the corona virus triggered us to transform ourselves into a hybrid festival. Physical film screenings with limited capacity will be supplemented by an online platform with a selection of festival films. In such a way, we can keep te important role our festival takes up in the film industry ecosystem upright while we continue to put film culture in the spotlights, perhaps even for a wider audience than ever."
Online offer
The platform features titles from the official competition such as Kelly Reichardt's eye-pleasing First Cow, Éden by Ágnes Kocsis and Stories from the Chestnut Woods by Gregor Božič; documentaries such as White Riot (Rubika Shah) and third cinema such as Among the Hills (Mohammad Reza Keivanfar) and Incitement (Yaron Zilberman).
On top of some short films by young talents (Fortune Cookie, Nina Weilbächer; Mosaic, Imge & Sine Özbilge; ...), films by experienced filmmakers of the section "Masters", such as Siberia by Abel Ferrara, will also be streamed. As a result of our focus on German cinema Eliza Petkova's Ein Fisch, der auf dem Rücken schwimmt, Angela Schanelec's Ich war zuhause, aber ... and classics suchlike Deutschland bleiche Mutter by Helma Sanders-Brahms can be found there too.
Who binges more content on VOD platforms than children and teenagers? For them, Film Fest Ghent has the majestic Hallo le wereld! (Anne-Lise Koehler, Éric Serre), Op de vlucht (Stein Berge Svendsen) which was tipped by the Mayor of Ghent Mathias De Clercq, coming-of-age film Psychobitch (Martin Lund) and Zussen (Silje Salomonsen, Arild Østin Ommundsen) in store.
Flemish content will be available as Familie by Milo Rau (adapted from Griet Op de Beecks book of the same name) and Eshref Reybrouck's Cheyenne et Lola will both be available one day, respectively on the 14th and the 19th of October. The poignant war documentary For Sama by Waad al-Kateab will also appear on the VOD platform on 20 October when the On Tour screenings of the film will take place.
Discover all titles of the online program here.
The cost for renting an online film will range in between 6 and 9 euros.