Fabrice Du Welz's New Film Selected for Venice
Sixteen years after Vinyan, Fabrice Du Welz returns to the Venice Film Festival to present his new film, Maldoror, in the Official Selection.
Belgium, 1995. The alarming disappearance of two young girls shakes the population and triggers an unprecedented media frenzy. Paul Chartier, an idealistic young gendarme, joins the secret operation "Maldoror," dedicated to the surveillance of a repeat offender. Confronted with the dysfunctions of the police system, he embarks on a manhunt alone, which leads him into obsession.
Maldoror stars Antony Bajon (Chien de la casse, Le Monde de demain) and Alba Gaia Bellugi, who previously collaborated with Fabrice Du Welz in Inexorable. The film is supported by the Centre du Cinéma de la Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles, produced by Frakas Production, and distributed internationally by WTFilms.
« Returning to Venice with Maldoror is a great joy, and I am sincerely excited to finally share the film with a wide audience. »
— Fabrice Du Welz
Maldoror is the eighth feature film by Fabrice Du Welz. His first film, Calvaire, already established him as a unique author, with a selection at the Critics' Week of the Cannes Film Festival in 2005. In 2007, he filmed Vinyan in Thailand with Emmanuelle Béart and Rufus Sewell, which was selected for the Official Competition in Venice. This was followed by Alléluia in 2014, selected at Cannes Directors' Fortnight, Adoration in 2019, and Inexorable in 2021. In 2016, he also directed Message from the King for Netflix, starring the late Chadwick Boseman.
It's worth highlighting the selection of films co-produced by Wallonia-Brussels production companies with funding from the National Centre of Cinema :
- Vermiglio, by Maura Delpero, co-produced by Versus Production, in Official Competition.
- Planet B, by Aude Léa Rapin, co-produced by Wrong Men, at the Settimana della Critica.
- Peaches Goes Bananas, by Marie Losier, co-produced by Michigan Films, at the Giornate degli Autori.
Let's also note the presence of Belgian production companies in the credits of several works in the selection: Saga Film for the series Families Like Ours by Thomas Vinterberg (Official Selection, out of competition), Umedia for L'Attachement by Carine Tardieu (Orrizonti), Kwassa Films for Champ de bataille (Venice Immersive) and Les FIlms du Fleuve for Manas by Marianna Brennand.
This edition of the Venice Film Festival holds special significance for the cultural institutions of the Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles. The french-specking Belgian film industry, jointly with Luxembourg, will be honored at the Venice Production Bridge, the professional section of the Festival. Under the banner "The Center of Attraction," a delegation of producers from Wallonia, Brussels, and Luxembourg will have the opportunity to meet financiers, co-producers, private and public funds, distributors, sales agents, as well as streaming platforms and post-production companies.
The 81st edition of the Mostra Internazionale d’Arte Cinematografica will take place from August 28 to September 7 on the Lido in Venice.
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