Filmfestival Oostende starting January 26: 10 films to see

This Friday, on January 26, the new edition of Filmfestival Oostende is starting with the opening film Holy Rosita from director Wannes Destoop. Last year it was Natali Broods who was the Master of the Filmfestival (as seen in the photo above), this year Gene Bervoets has the honors to be the Master of the Filmfestival.

I will be there every day and will update you on it every day until the last day of the festival on Saturday February 3. But before it really starts, here are ten films I will be watching during the festival that you also should see, besides the opening film.

• The Iron Claw: the new biographical sports film based on the life of professional wrestler Kevin Von Erich and the Von Erich family. It was written and directed by Sean Durkin. The film stars Zac Efron, Jeremy Allen White, Harris Dickinson, Maura Tierney, Holt McCallany and Lily James. It follows the Von Erich family, a dynasty of wrestlers from the 1960s onwards that had enormous success, and popularized the iron claw professional wrestling hold. However, they not only had to battle inside the ring, but fight the ‘Von Erich curse’ outside of it. The film was released in theatres in the US on December 22 and will be shown at Filmfestival Oostende.

• Origin: the new biographical drama film written and directed by Ava DuVernay. It is based on Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson. It stars Aunjanue Ellis in the lead role as Wilkerson, alongside Jon Bernthal, Vera Farmiga, Audra McDonald, Niecy Nash-Betts, Nick Offerman, and Blair Underwood. Origin was selected to compete for the Golden Lion at the 80th Venice International Film Festival and now it’s also being shown at Filmfestival Oostende.

• The End We Start From: the new British survival film directed by Mahalia Belo and starring Jodie Comer, Benedict Cumberbatch, Katherine Waterston and Mark Strong. It is adapted by Alice Birch from the novel of the same name by Megan Hunter. We follow a new mother and her baby who abandon their home in flooded London and flee northwards after an ecological crisis. The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival last year and was already released in theatres in the United States on December 8 and in the United Kingdom on January 19, and now it will also be shown at Filmfestival Oostende.

• One Life: the new British biographical drama film, directed by James Hawes, is based on the true story of British humanitarian Sir Nicholas Winton as he looks back on his past efforts to help groups of Jewish children in German-occupied Czechoslovakia to hide and flee in 1938–39, just before the beginning of World War II. The film stars Sir Anthony Hopkins and Johnny Flynn as Sir Nicholas, with Lena Olin, Romola Garai, Alex Sharp, Sir Jonathan Pryce, and Helena Bonham Carter also starring in the film. One Life had its world première at the Toronto International Film Festival last year and its European première at the 2023 London Film Festival. It was released in the United Kingdom on January 1 and will be shown at Filmfestival Oostende.

• Firebrand: the new British historical drama film directed by Karim Aïnouz from a screenplay by Henrietta Ashworth and Jessica Ashworth, which is based on the 2013 novel Queen’s Gambit by Elizabeth Fremantle. The film focuses on Katherine Parr, the sixth and final wife of Henry VIII. It stars Alicia Vikander, Jude Law, Sam Riley, Eddie Marsan, Simon Russell Beale, and Erin Doherty. The film marks Aïnouz’s first directorial effort in the English language. Firebrand premiered at the 76th Cannes Film Festival last year, where it was selected to compete for Palme d’Or and now will also be shown at Filmfestival Oostende.

• Birthday Girl: the new Danish psychological drama thriller film directed by Michael Noer, who also co-wrote it with Jesper Fink. It stars Trine Dyrholm, Flora Ofelia Hofmann Lindahl, Herman Tømmeraas, and Maja Ida Thiele with Trine Dyrholm also coming to Ostend to present her new film herself. The film is set on a cruise ship bound for the Caribbean and follows the 42-year-old Nanna who has invited her daughter Cille and her best friend on a cruise to celebrate Cille’s 18th birthday. The expectations are high and they have big plans set for the days on board the cruise. But on the first evening, the dream vacation turns into a nightmare and Nanna realizes that in order to get justice, she must take matters into her own hands. The film premiered at the Zurich Film Festival last year and will premiere this weekend at the Göteburg Film Festival and will also be shown at Filmfestival Oostende.

• Sometimes I Think About Dying: the new romantic comedy-drama film directed by Rachel Lambert, written by Kevin Armento, Stefanie Abel Horowitz, and Katy Wright-Mead. It is based on the 2013 play Killers by Armento, and a short film was released in 2019, directed and co-written by Horowitz. The film stars Daisy Ridley, Dave Merheje, Parvesh Cheena, and Marcia DeBonis. The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival last year and now it will also be shown at Filmfestival Oostende.

• The Zone of Interest: one of the best international films of 2023 will be shown at Filmfestival Oostende. It was just nominated for several Oscars including the Oscar for Best Picture and Best Director. This historical drama film written and directed by Jonathan Glazer is loosely based on the 2014 novel of the same name by Martin Amis and tells the beautiful story of Auschwitz commandant Rudolf Höss and his wife as they strive to build a dream life next to the concentration camp. The film won the Grand Prix at the Cannes Film Festival and I’m happy I’ll finally see it.

• Race for Glory: the new Italian and British motor racing film directed by Stefano Mordini. Based on true events, the film depicts the rivalry between the teams driving Audi Quattro and Lancia 037 rally cars at the 1983 World Rally Championship. Daniel Brühl and Riccardo Scamarcio star in the lead roles as Roland Gumpert and Cesare Fiorio. The film, titled Race for Glory: Audi vs. Lancia in full, was already released in theatres in the US on January 5 and will release in theatres in the UK on February 5, but I will see the film during Filmfestival Oostende which shows the film.

• The Queen of my Dreams: a new Canadian comedy-drama film, written and directed by Fawzia Mirza making her full-length directorial debut with this film. It was adapted from Mirza’s theatrical stage play of the same name, which was itself drawn from her 2012 short film The Queen of My Dreams. The film stars Amrit Kaur as Azra, a Pakistani Canadian woman who has had a strained relationship with her parents since coming out as lesbian, who undergoes an emotional journey after the sudden unexpected death of her father Hassan, played by Hamza Haq. The cast also includes Nimra Bucha, Charlie Boyle, Kirstin Howell, Josh MacDonald, Ali Kazmi, Lindsay Watters, Kya Mosey, Emerson MacNeil, Meher Jaffri, Ayana Manji, Adnan Jaffar and Bakhtawar Mazhar. The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival last year and was also shown at the BFI London Film Festival. It will be shown at Filmfestival Oostende and will also premiere at South by Southwest in the US this March.