The Brussels International Film Festival will return to the Belgian capital from 4 to 12 September for its 9th edition, with a programme focused on premieres, discoveries and filmmaker-audience encounters.
The festival's organisers made the announcement on Tuesday at a press conference.
The opening ceremony will take place at UGC De Brouckère, where the new feature film by French director Emmanuel Marre, Notre Salut, will be introduced by the film team before its screening. The film will also be shown the same evening at Cinema Palace, where the team will take part in a question-and-answer session, and at Cinema Galeries.
'Notre Salut,' which won the Screenplay Prize at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival, will have its Belgian premiere at BRIFF and will compete in the international competition.
This year’s edition will feature three competitive strands: the International Competition, the National Competition and Directors’ Week, which is dedicated to emerging European cinema.
Outside the competitions, several sections will offer different perspectives on the world and on filmmaking.
These include Once Upon a Time, which will pay tribute to women directors who have shaped cinema history, and Green Planet, which will explore environmental issues through screenings, debates and talks.
For the Green Planet section, the À Travers Champs rural film festival has been given free rein to curate part of the programme to mark its tenth anniversary, the organisers said.
The festival will also spotlight Irish cinema in connection with Ireland’s presidency of the Council of the European Union.
According to the organisers, the selection will highlight a committed national cinema rooted in Irish identity, folklore and landscapes.
Alongside the film programme, festivalgoers and the wider public will be able to visit the BRIFF Village on Place De Brouckère, which will feature a free-access terrace and three concerts.
There will also be two free open-air screenings at sunset at Mont des Arts.
The festival will close with the US feature, 'The Invite,' directed by Olivia Wilde.
Screenings will be held at UGC De Brouckère, Cinema Palace, Cinema Galeries, Cinema Aventure and the Jacques Franck Cultural Centre.
Guests due to attend include Léa Drucker, Eddy de Pretto, Jeanne Herry, Olivier Pairoux and Charline Bourgeois-Tacquet.
The full programme is to be announced shortly.
