Jour2Fete has acquired French distribution rights to Cannes Critics’ Week title Julie Keeps Quiet.
The debut feature of Belgian director Leonardo Van Dijl, Julie Keeps Quiet is set in an elite tennis academy. When an investigation into her tennis coach ignites and he is suspended, all of the club’s players are encouraged to speak up but star player Julie chooses to keep quiet - leaving the investigation and the coach’s future in doubt. Van Dijl’s short film Stephanie played in Cannes, San Sebastian and TIFF in 2020 and was set in the world of gymnastics.
International sales for...
The debut feature of Belgian director Leonardo Van Dijl, Julie Keeps Quiet is set in an elite tennis academy. When an investigation into her tennis coach ignites and he is suspended, all of the club’s players are encouraged to speak up but star player Julie chooses to keep quiet - leaving the investigation and the coach’s future in doubt. Van Dijl’s short film Stephanie played in Cannes, San Sebastian and TIFF in 2020 and was set in the world of gymnastics.
International sales for...
- 4/18/2024
- ScreenDaily
Brussels-based company Best Friend Forever has acquired international rights to Lenny and Harpo Guit’s new feature “Heads or Fails,” the duo’s follow-up to Sundance comedy “Mother Schmuckers.”
Now in post, “Heads or Fails” tells the story of Armande Pigeon, a queen of shenanigans in Brussels who struggles to make ends meet because she can’t stop gambling on everything, always ending up on the wrong side of luck. When she teams up with Ronnie one night, everything changes – they win it all. And when you hit a winning streak, you have to know when to stop.
Lenny and Harpo Guit’s previous film, “Mother Schmuckers,” premiered at Sundance in the Midnight section in 2021 and was critically lauded. Along with having directed numerous short films, they also have their own YouTube channel, Clubb Guitos.
“Heads or Fails” stars Maria Cavalier-Bazan, Axel Perin (“Mother Schmuckers”), Maxi Delmelle (“Mother Schmuckers”), Michael Zindel...
Now in post, “Heads or Fails” tells the story of Armande Pigeon, a queen of shenanigans in Brussels who struggles to make ends meet because she can’t stop gambling on everything, always ending up on the wrong side of luck. When she teams up with Ronnie one night, everything changes – they win it all. And when you hit a winning streak, you have to know when to stop.
Lenny and Harpo Guit’s previous film, “Mother Schmuckers,” premiered at Sundance in the Midnight section in 2021 and was critically lauded. Along with having directed numerous short films, they also have their own YouTube channel, Clubb Guitos.
“Heads or Fails” stars Maria Cavalier-Bazan, Axel Perin (“Mother Schmuckers”), Maxi Delmelle (“Mother Schmuckers”), Michael Zindel...
- 1/19/2024
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
"Would you stop acting like kids?" Dark Star Pictures has revealed an official US trailer for an indie comedy titled Mother Schmuckers, which first premiered at last year's Sundance Film Festival. It also played at a bunch of other genre fests, including Fantasia and Fantastic Fest last year, finally arriving in theaters this March. Issachar & Zabulon, two brothers in their 20s, are supremely stupid and never bored, as madness is part of their daily lives. When they lose their mother's beloved dog, they have 24 hours to find it - or she will kick them out. Starring Maxi Delmelle, Harpo Guit, Claire Bodson, Fresco, and Mathieu Amalric. I've heard all kinds of weird, wacky things about this - including that it's just too dumb to enjoy. But if this kind of kooky, low brow humor is your jam, then dive right in! But if not, you may want to stay away from it.
- 2/18/2022
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
If you thought the Dardenne brothers were the only game in town when it comes to fraternal auteur duos making unvarnished studies of life on the skids in working-class Belgium, newcomers Harpo and Lenny Guit have at least one surprise in store for you. If you’re thinking of the Dardenne brothers at all, however, the Guits’ blithely grotesque debut feature “Mother Schmuckers” will likely deliver several more.
Attempting to bring a stinky shot of John Waters recklessness to a national cinema that has rarely behaved this badly since “Man Bites Dog,” this mayonnaise-dipped gross-out exercise references “Pink Flamingos” straight off the bat with its opening scene of two adult brothers cooking up a fecal feast in the kitchen. Yet as it hobbles along from one knowingly stupid setpiece to the next, “Mother Schmuckers” mellows out into something more akin to “Dude, Where’s My Car?” — if “mellow” is the word...
Attempting to bring a stinky shot of John Waters recklessness to a national cinema that has rarely behaved this badly since “Man Bites Dog,” this mayonnaise-dipped gross-out exercise references “Pink Flamingos” straight off the bat with its opening scene of two adult brothers cooking up a fecal feast in the kitchen. Yet as it hobbles along from one knowingly stupid setpiece to the next, “Mother Schmuckers” mellows out into something more akin to “Dude, Where’s My Car?” — if “mellow” is the word...
- 3/1/2021
- by Guy Lodge
- Variety Film + TV
The absurd/dark comedy Mother Schmuckers, the first feature film by Belgian brothers Harpo and Lenny Guit, opens with some idiots cooking in a frying pan what appears to be a piece of shit. Although these young brothers, Issachar (Maxi Delmelle) and Zebulon (Harpo Guit himself), assure that it’s merguez. The stink in the kitchen causes their mother (Claire Bodson) to puke directly into the camera, from the vomit comes the greenish title of the movie. With a beginning like this one, it’s easy to know what kind of humor this effort deals with, however, Mother Schmuckers reaches completely unexpected places... and, on more than one occasion, fucked up ones. This is largely due to the Guits' narrative style. From the moment the mother asks the...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
- 2/7/2021
- Screen Anarchy
Some movies are slow to reveal themselves, shedding their mysterious tulip petals until nothing is left but the perfect bulb of truth from which the story sprouts. “Mother Schmuckers” — which opens with two bone-stupid adults trying to force-feed their mom a fried pan of human shit until she vomits the film’s title directly onto the camera — is not one of those movies. At just 70 minutes long, it doesn’t have the time.
Then again, you have no idea how long 70 minutes can be. Not until you’ve sat through Harpo and Lenny Guit’s feature debut, Ultimately, it betrays those influences in favor of something that feels more like a Dardenne brothers remake directed by Jake and Logan Paul (and would even if “Young Ahmed” star Claire Bodson wasn’t cast as the titular schmuckered mother).
The world is still wide enough to make room for cinema that celebrates...
Then again, you have no idea how long 70 minutes can be. Not until you’ve sat through Harpo and Lenny Guit’s feature debut, Ultimately, it betrays those influences in favor of something that feels more like a Dardenne brothers remake directed by Jake and Logan Paul (and would even if “Young Ahmed” star Claire Bodson wasn’t cast as the titular schmuckered mother).
The world is still wide enough to make room for cinema that celebrates...
- 1/30/2021
- by David Ehrlich
- Indiewire
In their debut feature film, directing duo Harpo and Lenny Guit craft a narrative unlike any other. Mother Schmuckers (Fils de Plouc in their native French) opens by flinging the audience helplessly into an obscene sequence involving a frying pan full of feces, and what follows manages to become far more vile. The film chronicles the exploits of dim siblings Issachar (Maxi Delmelle) and Zabulon (Harpo Guit), a pair of man-children that would give every single Adam Sandler incarnation a run for his money. The wretched pair spends their time cavorting around Brussels making one scenario of mischief to the next, without giving themselves, or the audience, much time to breathe in between. And while Mother Schmuckers may hit a sweet spot for fans of the delightfully vulgar and distasteful, it reads mostly as a film aiming only to provoke.
The plot is as follows: while out searching haplessly for something to eat,...
The plot is as follows: while out searching haplessly for something to eat,...
- 1/30/2021
- by Brianna Zigler
- The Film Stage
"Did you lose him?" Clubb Guitos has revealed the first official trailer for Mother Schmuckers, a wacky new Belgian comedy premiering at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival this month. The film screens in the Midnight category, and marks the feature directorial debut of two Belgian brothers - Harpo Guit & Lenny Guit. In the film, Issachar and Zabulon, two brothers in their 20s, are supremely stupid and never bored, as madness is part of their daily lives. When they lose their mother's beloved dog, they have 24 hours to find it - or she will kick them out. "Defying traditional labels, Mother Schmuckers doesn't take itself too seriously. Instead, the hilarious observations the brothers make about life and family relationships elevate everyday occurrences. A refreshing piece of filmmaking, their fun, funny and unapologetic style, is a rare and much needed gift in these uncertain times." The film stars Harpo Guit, Maxi Delmelle, Claire Bodson,...
- 1/26/2021
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
While the Sundance Film Festival won’t take place in person in Park City this year, that doesn’t mean there aren’t plenty of reasons to be excited for the virtual edition kicking off January 28. One such acquisition title heating up the fest is “Mother Schmuckers,” the first Belgian film ever to play in the Sundance Midnight section. This jittery buddy comedy about two incorrigible brothers still living with their mother in Brussels has, according to sales agent Best Friend Forever, echoes of “Jackass” and John Waters. Check out the trailer, exclusive to IndieWire, below.
“Mother Schmuckers” is the feature debut of brothers Harpo and Lenny Guit, who wrote and directed the film. Here’s the synopsis from the Sundance Film Festival:
Two low-down, rotten brothers named Issachar and Zabulon are starving and can’t seem to scrounge up a meal anywhere. Things only get worse when they lose...
“Mother Schmuckers” is the feature debut of brothers Harpo and Lenny Guit, who wrote and directed the film. Here’s the synopsis from the Sundance Film Festival:
Two low-down, rotten brothers named Issachar and Zabulon are starving and can’t seem to scrounge up a meal anywhere. Things only get worse when they lose...
- 1/25/2021
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
Brussels-based company Best Friend Forever has acquired “Mother Schmuckers,” which will world premiere at Sundance. The film marks the feature debut of Lenny and Harpo Guit, and is the first Belgian movie set to play in Sundance’s midnight section.
Set in contemporary Brussels, the film tells the story of two brothers in their twenties, supremely stupid and never bored. When they lose their mother’s beloved dog, they have 24 hours to find it — or she will kick them out. The film’s cast features French star Mathieu Amalric, along with a string of newcomers such as Maxi Delmelle, Harpo Guit and Claire Bodson (“Young Ahmed”).
“We hadn’t laughed that much since ages. The film’s creativity is so refreshing; it’s full of ideas and boasts obvious cult potential,” said Martin Gondre and Charles Bin, Best Friend Forever’s co-founders. “It reminded us of John Waters in a way,...
Set in contemporary Brussels, the film tells the story of two brothers in their twenties, supremely stupid and never bored. When they lose their mother’s beloved dog, they have 24 hours to find it — or she will kick them out. The film’s cast features French star Mathieu Amalric, along with a string of newcomers such as Maxi Delmelle, Harpo Guit and Claire Bodson (“Young Ahmed”).
“We hadn’t laughed that much since ages. The film’s creativity is so refreshing; it’s full of ideas and boasts obvious cult potential,” said Martin Gondre and Charles Bin, Best Friend Forever’s co-founders. “It reminded us of John Waters in a way,...
- 12/15/2020
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
For all the ways Belgium’s Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne are rightly hailed as masterful contemporary realists with an abiding compassion for society’s fringe strugglers — the poor, the undocumented, the criminal, the victimized — they’ve just as easily earned their place as some of the greatest suspense directors of all time.
Their street-level stories, frequent Cannes winners since 1999’s “Rosetta,” typically hinge on a central desperation tied to simple survival, but when played out with their trademark visual restlessness and character-driven purposefulness, they’re often as nail-biting as any genre exercise or melodrama.
Which makes “Young Ahmed,” the pair’s latest dispatch from the viewpoint of a troubled soul — in this case, a 13-year-old Belgian boy in the dangerous throes of religious fanaticism — both a typically unnerving entry in their canon, and a strangely distancing one, given the impenetrability of its lead’s self-destructiveness.
Also Read: In 'Young Ahmed,...
Their street-level stories, frequent Cannes winners since 1999’s “Rosetta,” typically hinge on a central desperation tied to simple survival, but when played out with their trademark visual restlessness and character-driven purposefulness, they’re often as nail-biting as any genre exercise or melodrama.
Which makes “Young Ahmed,” the pair’s latest dispatch from the viewpoint of a troubled soul — in this case, a 13-year-old Belgian boy in the dangerous throes of religious fanaticism — both a typically unnerving entry in their canon, and a strangely distancing one, given the impenetrability of its lead’s self-destructiveness.
Also Read: In 'Young Ahmed,...
- 3/5/2020
- by Robert Abele
- The Wrap
Jean-Pierre Dardenne on Young Ahmed (Le Jeune Ahmed): “We're always very concerned with avoiding imagery …” Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze
With Young Ahmed (Le Jeune Ahmed), starring Idir Ben Addi as Ahmed, featuring Myriem Akheddiou, Victoria Bluck, Claire Bodson, Othmane Moumen, Olivier Bonnaud, and Cyra Lassman, Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne enter a new realm of their oeuvre.
And yet their latest film, for which they won the top director prize at Cannes, is very much in line with what they do best. They illuminate seemingly impossible situations that are deeply grounded in social realities. Body language, quotidian objects, and a hesitant glance speak volumes.
Luc Dardenne on Idir Ben Addi as Ahmed: “We define the character not by his psychology, but by his accessories.” Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze
In the second half of my conversation at Ian Schrager's Hudson Hotel with the master filmmakers, I started out...
With Young Ahmed (Le Jeune Ahmed), starring Idir Ben Addi as Ahmed, featuring Myriem Akheddiou, Victoria Bluck, Claire Bodson, Othmane Moumen, Olivier Bonnaud, and Cyra Lassman, Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne enter a new realm of their oeuvre.
And yet their latest film, for which they won the top director prize at Cannes, is very much in line with what they do best. They illuminate seemingly impossible situations that are deeply grounded in social realities. Body language, quotidian objects, and a hesitant glance speak volumes.
Luc Dardenne on Idir Ben Addi as Ahmed: “We define the character not by his psychology, but by his accessories.” Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze
In the second half of my conversation at Ian Schrager's Hudson Hotel with the master filmmakers, I started out...
- 2/20/2020
- by Anne-Katrin Titze
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Luc Dardenne and Jean-Pierre Dardenne, Cannes Film Festival Best Director winners for Young Ahmed (Le Jeune Ahmed) Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze
Jean-Pierre Dardenne and Luc Dardenne joined me for a conversation at Ian Schrager's Hudson Hotel the day after the North American Premiere of Young Ahmed (Le Jeune Ahmed) at the New York Film Festival. The film stars Idir Ben Addi as Ahmed with Myriem Akheddiou, Victoria Bluck, Claire Bodson, Othmane Moumen, Olivier Bonnaud, and Cyra Lassman.
Marion Cotillard's walk turned her into a reluctant Western hero in Two Days, One Night. Here, Young Ahmed (Idir Ben Addi), an adolescent boy, living in a small Belgian town, suddenly grows distant from his surroundings. His body is changing and out of control and so are his thoughts. The words of the local Imam (Othmane Moumen) and the video of a cousin who died a martyr's death inspire his radical thoughts.
Jean-Pierre Dardenne and Luc Dardenne joined me for a conversation at Ian Schrager's Hudson Hotel the day after the North American Premiere of Young Ahmed (Le Jeune Ahmed) at the New York Film Festival. The film stars Idir Ben Addi as Ahmed with Myriem Akheddiou, Victoria Bluck, Claire Bodson, Othmane Moumen, Olivier Bonnaud, and Cyra Lassman.
Marion Cotillard's walk turned her into a reluctant Western hero in Two Days, One Night. Here, Young Ahmed (Idir Ben Addi), an adolescent boy, living in a small Belgian town, suddenly grows distant from his surroundings. His body is changing and out of control and so are his thoughts. The words of the local Imam (Othmane Moumen) and the video of a cousin who died a martyr's death inspire his radical thoughts.
- 10/9/2019
- by Anne-Katrin Titze
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Fitting their preoccupations with contemporary Europe’s working class, the latest from Belgian’s preeminent filmmaking duo, Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne, seeks to boldly tackle the radicalization of a Belgian-Arabic teen. Their approach in Young Ahmed is as compassionate and conscientious as one can expect from the brothers—they’re master storytellers operating at their most consistent and polished—yet it lacks the moral specificity of their best work or formal daring of their second-most-recent outing (The Unknown Girl), the end result being a derivative misstep.
At school, the erratic Ahmed (first-time actor Idir Ben Addi) displays intense animosity for his instructor, Madame Inès (Myriem Akheddiou), who seems to genuinely care for him and worries about his recent rash behavior. Ahmed rushes to leave class early, refusing to say goodbye and asserting that it’s unacceptable for a true Muslim to shake a woman’s hand. This opening uncannily mirrors...
At school, the erratic Ahmed (first-time actor Idir Ben Addi) displays intense animosity for his instructor, Madame Inès (Myriem Akheddiou), who seems to genuinely care for him and worries about his recent rash behavior. Ahmed rushes to leave class early, refusing to say goodbye and asserting that it’s unacceptable for a true Muslim to shake a woman’s hand. This opening uncannily mirrors...
- 9/24/2019
- by The Film Stage
- The Film Stage
There’s a darkness to “Young Ahmed” that audiences have never seen before in the work of Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne, the gifted Belgian brothers whose profoundly humane, unapologetically realist dramas have twice earned them the Palme d’Or in Cannes. Like surrogate parents to troubled children, the sibling directors have taken on their share of difficult adolescents. In “Rosetta,” “The Son,” and “The Kid With a Bike” in particular, the characters’ circumstances may be harsh, but audiences can sense an underlying optimism behind those stories, whereas with Ahmed, a radicalized Muslim teenager who tries to kill his teacher, there’s a difference: He could be too far gone to save.
In a sense, that brings fresh urgency to the latest from a pair of master filmmakers whose style has become so familiar that audiences can almost predict how their intense slice-of-life scenarios might play out. But introduce a 13-year-old itching for jihad,...
In a sense, that brings fresh urgency to the latest from a pair of master filmmakers whose style has become so familiar that audiences can almost predict how their intense slice-of-life scenarios might play out. But introduce a 13-year-old itching for jihad,...
- 5/20/2019
- by Peter Debruge
- Variety Film + TV
Belgian directors Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne excel at showing how the struggles of the underprivileged can lead them down morally questionable paths, but when “Young Ahmed” begins, that journey has started long ago. As 13-year-old Ahmed (Idir Ben Addi in a breakout turn) spends his days studying radical Islam with Imam Youssouf (Othmane Moumen), much to the consternation of his frantic mother Louise (Claire Bodson), the child has already committed himself to jihad. Within the first act of the movie, he has sworn himself to murdering his secular teacher Ines (Miriam Akheddiou), and the reckless act lands him in juvenile detention. The rest of the movie finds the kid struggling with his confused ideology, as various characters attempt to sway his beliefs.
In the pantheon of Dardenne brothers movies from the past three decades, “Young Ahmed” lies somewhere on the spectrum ahead of mediocre works like “The Unknown Girl” but...
In the pantheon of Dardenne brothers movies from the past three decades, “Young Ahmed” lies somewhere on the spectrum ahead of mediocre works like “The Unknown Girl” but...
- 5/20/2019
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
Well, this is it, folks. Time to talk about one of the most important film events of the year — the Cannes Film Festival — and which buzzy titles are up for grabs this year.
There’s a hot package starring Chris Hemsworth and Tiffany Haddish titled “Down Under Cover.” Roland Emmerich directs a sci-fi project called “Moonfall.” Newly minted Oscar winner Olivia Colman stars with Anthony Hopkins in a drama called “The Father.” And Anthony Mackie reunites with “Avengers” co-star Samuel L. Jackson in “The Banker,” while the Russo Brothers reteam with Tom Holland for “Cherry.”
This year’s lineup features everything from space odysseys to WWII dramas to rom-coms to political dramas. Some directors are heading back to the Croisette for their sixth time to compete (“Oh Mercy!” director Arnaud Desplechin), while others, like Florian Zeller, are traveling to the French Riviera town for the first time.
Also Read: Chris...
There’s a hot package starring Chris Hemsworth and Tiffany Haddish titled “Down Under Cover.” Roland Emmerich directs a sci-fi project called “Moonfall.” Newly minted Oscar winner Olivia Colman stars with Anthony Hopkins in a drama called “The Father.” And Anthony Mackie reunites with “Avengers” co-star Samuel L. Jackson in “The Banker,” while the Russo Brothers reteam with Tom Holland for “Cherry.”
This year’s lineup features everything from space odysseys to WWII dramas to rom-coms to political dramas. Some directors are heading back to the Croisette for their sixth time to compete (“Oh Mercy!” director Arnaud Desplechin), while others, like Florian Zeller, are traveling to the French Riviera town for the first time.
Also Read: Chris...
- 5/13/2019
- by Beatrice Verhoeven
- The Wrap
Few directors are as synonymous with Cannes Film Festival as the Belgian filmmaking brothers Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne. After their last film, The Unknown Girl, premiered in an early cut at the festival to a tepid response that was later reworked for an eventual theatrically release, hopefully things fare better for their next drama, Young Ahmed.
As the synopsis reads, “In Belgium, today, the destiny of young Ahmed, 13, caught between his imam’s ideals of purity and life’s temptations. How can love of life win out over his desire to put someone to death?” Ahead of the Cannes premiere, the first trailer has now arrived albeit without English subtitles for the story of a teenager wrestling with ideas of killing his teacher.
Sure to stir up some controversy on the Croisette, see the trailer below via Cinemaldito for the film starring Idir Ben Addi, Olivier Bonnaud, Myriem Akheddiou, Victoria Bluck,...
As the synopsis reads, “In Belgium, today, the destiny of young Ahmed, 13, caught between his imam’s ideals of purity and life’s temptations. How can love of life win out over his desire to put someone to death?” Ahead of the Cannes premiere, the first trailer has now arrived albeit without English subtitles for the story of a teenager wrestling with ideas of killing his teacher.
Sure to stir up some controversy on the Croisette, see the trailer below via Cinemaldito for the film starring Idir Ben Addi, Olivier Bonnaud, Myriem Akheddiou, Victoria Bluck,...
- 4/26/2019
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
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