Here by Bas Devos will have its Belgian premiere in the Official Competition of the 50th edition of Film Fest Ghent. The film previously had its world premiere at the Berlinale, where it won the top prize in the Encounters section. It was also announced today that Here will be screened in the Wavelengths section in Toronto and in the Main Slate program of the New York Film Festival, a remarkable achievement for a Flemish film.
Here is Bas Devos's fourth feature film and is already the third film by the director to be shown at Film Fest Ghent. Both his debut film Violet (2014) and the nocturnal odyssey Ghost Tropic (2019) were part of the Official Competition of the festival. With Here Devos casts his patient and humane gaze on a Romanian construction worker who strolls through the Belgian capital and its nature. It is a gentle, humanistic city symphony with green fingers that pays tribute to the invisible ones. And to mosses.
Synopsis
Stefan is a gentle construction worker in Brussels who is about to leave for his home country Romania. With the leftovers in his refrigerator, he prepares a large pot of soup to distribute to his friends and family as a farewell gift. Stefan's paths cross those of a young Belgian-Chinese woman who dedicates her doctoral research to mosses. Her interest in the barely visible intrigues him.
Bas Devos
Bas Devos was born in Zoersel, Belgium. Since his graduation, he has directed two short films, The Close and We Know. His first feature film, Violet, won the Jury Prize at Berlinale Generations in 2014. Its successor Hellhole ging in wereldpremière in het Panorama-programma op de Berlinale van 2019. Drie maanden later onthulde Devos zijn derde film, Ghost Tropic, tijdens de Quinzaine des cinéastes in Cannes. Zijn nieuwste speelfilm, Here, won de prijs voor beste film in de sectie Encounters van de Berlinale in 2023, evenals de FIPRESCI-prijs. Bas Devos doceert film aan het KASK in Gent.
Here is a production by Quetzalcoatl in co-production with Kunstencentrum Buda, kunstencentrum nona, 1080, Proxiums and Shelterprod, in collaboration with Taxshelter.be & ING, supported by the Flemish Audiovisual Fund (VAF) and Tax-Shelter of the Belgian Federal Government.
