For more than 30 years, Cinemamed has become the annual meeting to discover Mediterranean stories, dreams and issues. The festival reflects Brussels’ multiculturalism and is built with the idea of giving a voice, through cinema, to the many Mediterranean communities living in Brussels.
Throughout the 23 editions of Cinemamed, the festival has brought many guests to Brussels coming from all over the Mediterranean area, including some of the best directors of the region, as well as actors, musicians and many figures representing Mediterranean genius around the world. During these years, audiences have had the opportunity to exchange directly with filmmakers, personalities from the film industry and various other speakers during the screenings.
Cinemamed is not only a cinema event, it is also a safe space for debating and a showcase for Mediterranean cultures, from food to music, photography and arts in general. It actively supports emerging eartistic projects, as for example LIGHT & FACE, a photo exhibition from the youth of Molenbeek cultural center together with renown photographer Johanna De Teissieres.
Cinemamed fosters collective debate and reflections on contemporary societal issues, and for this reason, every year, the programming committee drafts a list of recurrent topics addressed by the films submitted for selection. We strongly believe that cinema, like all artistic expressions provides a magnifying lens on society, and our purpose is to generate debate, to exchange thoughts and reflections amongst people, fostering participation independently of age, gender and socio-economic origins.
This year we realized that many works address the crossroads in the life of those who have to (or choose to) leave their home but have a lingering sense of belonging where their roots remain. Through our program, we have decided to take a closer look at stories that explore this ambiguous feeling and invite guests that will share their interpretation of this topic.
This year we also want to celebrate, through films and music, the legacy of Moroccan and Turkish communities that have we have been building a common history with since the agreement between Belgium and these countries exactly 60 years ago. This edition will shed the light on Turkish and Moroccan cinematography, which will offer a magnifying lens on these countries and culture, as well as the work of the children and grandchildren of the first generation immigrants in Belgium.
The festival aims to be as inclusive and accessible as possible, and thus we organize screenings for Brussels associative sector with a reduced price. Many of the selected films treat topics that resonate with the work of local associations, thus creating new opportunities of debate even on delicate and sensitive subjects. In collaboration with a number of cultural centers in the Brussels region, Cinemamed also offers around twenty free school screenings in several municipalities of Brussels.
Enjoy these movies with English subtitles:
Afterwar by Birgitte Stærmose
Stork by Isa Qosja
Mamífera by Liliana Torres
Faruk by Asli Özge
The Gospel According to Ciretta by Caroline Von der Tann
Arcadia by Yorgos Zois
And don’t miss this beautiful animated movie for the whole family (as of 8 years old):
Flow by Gints Zilbalodis
See the full Cinemamed programme here.
The Brussels Times is an official Media Partner for Cinemamed - The Brussels Mediterranean Film Festival.
