Baloji's debut feature in Cannes !
Baloji's debut feature film, "Omen", will be presented in the Un Certain Regard section!
Thierry Frémaux, general delegate, and Iris Knobloch, president of the Cannes Film Festival, announced on Thursday, April 13th the films selected in the Official Selection. The 76th Festival will celebrate Baloji's debut on the Croisette. Omen, his first feature film, is indeed part of the official selection for 2023.
"I am extremely proud and honored by this selection, which feels like a victory given my journey. I also think about my country of origin and what Cannes' visibility represents for the film industry of the largest French-speaking country in the world, which will inspire others."
Baloji, a multidisciplinary artist born in Democratic Republic of the Congo, was revealed in the early 2000s as part of the group Starflam. Since then, he has released three albums, all of which have been very successful in Belgium and internationally. He supervises the texts and music, as well as the rich visual universe of his creations. He has notably directed several music videos, including Peau de chagrin – Bleu de nuit, taken from the album 137 avenue Kaniama.
In 2018, he directed his first short film, Kaniama Show, which was presented at numerous festivals and notably won the Special Jury Prize at FIFF Namur. It was followed a few months later by Zombies, selected at Rotterdam, BFI, and Oberhausen.
In front of the camera, he also appeared in Frederike Migom's film Binti, which earned him a nomination for the Magritte Award for Best Male Newcomer. With Omen, he is therefore embarking on the adventure of a feature film, shot between Belgium and Congo. The cast includes Belgians Marc Zinga and Lucie Debay, as well as Eliane Umuhire and Yves-Marina Gnahoua.
Omen is an ensemble film about four people accused of being witches and sorcerers. Despite their misfortune they find the way to guide each other away from their socially imposed destinies and into the phantasmagoria of Africa
Omen is produced by Wrong Men, with the support of the Wallonia-Brussels Federation's Center for Cinema, the participation of screen.brussels, the Tax Shelter of the Federal Government of Belgium, and in co-production with RTBF, Proximus, and VOO&BeTv. The film is sold by Memento International and will be distributed in Belgium by Imagine Film Distribution.
Wrong Men is also co-producing Mona Achache's film, Little girl blue, supported by the Centre du Cinéma de la Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles and presented at Cannes in a special screening.
Finally, several Belgian companies are involved in the production of many selected films:
- Artemis Productions: Rosalie by Stéphanie Di Giusto (Un Certain Regard)
- Les Films du Fleuve: The Old Oak by Ken Loach (Competition - Official Selection) and Jeanne du Barry by Maïwenn (Opening - Official Selection)
- UMedia: Acide by Just Philippot (Midnight Screening), La Passion de Dodin Bouffant by Tran Anh Hung (Competition - Official Selection), How to have sex by Molly Manning Walke (Un Certain Regard), Rien à perdre by Delphine Deloget (Un Certain Regard), and Bonnard, Pierre et Marthe by Martin Provost (Cannes Première).
- Wrong Men : Le Règne Animal by Thomas Cailley (Un Certain Regard)
The Cannes Film Festival is one of the essential events of international cinema. Every year, thousands of directors, actors, and professionals from around the world come together on the Croisette. This 76th edition marks a new chapter in the event's history with the election of Iris Knobloch as festival president in March 2022. She succeeds Pierre Lescure, whose first term began in 2014.
films
