Filmfestival Oostende 2026: the edition full of connection

From Friday January 30th till Saturday February 7 the 18th edition of the Filmfestival of Oostende happened. Everyday I went to see several films and series that premiered during the festival. This is why there wasn’t a Six To See these past weeks. The releases of the past two weeks that you have to see are coming on Monday, February 16, alongside the new Six To See of next week.

While you wait for the next Six To See, I will give you the six films I saw during the Filmfestival of Oostende that are my favorites. In total I saw almost 20 films. From those films I want to give you my six favorite ones. Before I do this, here is a little recap of the Filmfestival.

It all started on Friday January 30th with the opening film Zondag de negenste from director Kat Steppe. Before the film had its premiere in the evening, master Ruth Becquart and director Steppe received a star on the Walk of Fame.

Here are pictures of the Walk of Fame and the red carpet of Zondag de negenste:

On January 31st it was the premiere of Real Faces, the debut of Leni Huyghe, who was there to present her film, alongside the cast. Mister Leather Belgium & MSC Belgium were also present for the premiere of Pillion, the new film from Harry Lighton with Alexander Skarsgård and Harry Melling in the lead roles. I saw both films and one of them is in my top six.

Here are pictures of the red carpet of Saturday January 31st:

That day there were also other people present, including Huub Stapel and Dick Maas for Amsterdamned II, with Stapel who received a star on the Walk of Fame earlier that day. Other guests were Jessica Reynolds, David Verbeek and Marie Junger for The Wolf, the Fox & the Leopard; Nina Knag for Don’t Call Me Mama; and Nanouk Leopold and Stienette Bosklopper Whitetail.

Here are pictures of the red carpet of Sunday February 1st:

I started the week on Monday February 2nd with the movie The Garden of Earthly Delights, which won the prize for Best Film at the Filmfestival from the Belgian Film Press. The director of the film, Morgan Knibbe, also came to the festival later in the week, on February 6, to present his film and receive the prize.

In the evening it was time for the premiere of the second season of Juliet. After the first season premiered at the Filmfestival of Ostend, the cast and crew was back to present season two. The first two episodes were already amazing and I look forward to seeing the rest. That evening real legends in Belgian cinema were also there to receive the Ensor for Best French-language Film: Jean-Pierre & Luc Dardenne.

Here are pictures of the red carpet of Monday February 2nd:

On Tuesday February 3rd I saw one of the best films of Filmfestival Oostende in my opinion: The Testament of Ann Lee. More about this film later. In the evening it was the premiere of Cap Farewell, with director Vanja d’Alcantara that was in Ostend to present her film. The new series BOHO also premiered that night, with Olympia Allaert, Abbie Boutkabout, Helen Perquy, Serine Ayari, Ikram Aoulad and Miss Angel that were on the red carpet. On Wednesday and Thursday I wasn’t able to go to the red carpet, but during those two days I saw several great films. 

Here are pictures of the red carpet of Tuesday February 3rd:

The film that had the privilege to end the Filmfestival was Clean from Koen Van Sande. With Tibo Vandenborre and Vincent Van Sande in the lead roles as brothers, alongside master Ruth Becquart, Martha Canga Antonio, Jos Verbist, Katelijne Damen and Shauna Dewit the director came to present his film. It’s a beautiful but also confronting film that shows you how addiction is something that can happen to anyone. Addicts are not criminals, but victims of a system that doesn’t work at all. It was a powerful film to end the Filmfestival with.

The series De twaalf: De botoxmoorden also premiered that evening with the cast being there. And Micha Wald and Salomé Dewaels from L’île de la demoiselle were present to receive their prize for the COOP! competition. The winner of the SOON! competition for best debut went to the documentary To The West, in Zapata and Silent Friend received the prize in the LOOK! competition.

Here are pictures of the red carpet of Friday February 6nd:

The Filmfestival ended with the Ensors, the Flemish version of the Oscars. The best films and series of the past year were awarded. The big winner of the night was the series Putain, which won 8 Ensors, including Best Series, Best Actor in a Lead Role in a Series and Best Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series. Julian was the film with the most wins, including Best Film, Best Director for Cato Kusters and Best Actor in a Lead Role in a Movie for Laurence Roothooft.

The series This Is Not a Murder Mystery and the film Young Hearts both won three awards, while the series How To Kill Your Sister won the Ensor for Best Sound. The Box Office Award went to Patsers, the sequel to Patser from Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah. You can find the whole list of winners on the website of Filmfestival Oostende. Pictures of the red carpet and of the show are coming later.

I’m ending the recap of the Filmfestival of Ostend with the six best films I saw during this 18th edition.

Six best films at FFO26:

1. The Testament of Ann Lee: The best film I saw during FFO 2026 is this epic historical musical drama film directed by Mona Fastvold, who co-wrote it with Brady Corbet. The film stars Amanda Seyfried as Ann Lee, the founding leader of the Shakers religious sect in the 18th century. The supporting cast includes Thomasin McKenzie, Lewis Pullman, Stacy Martin, Tim Blake Nelson, and Christopher Abbott. The film received positive reviews from critics, with Seyfried receiving acclaim for her performance, often described as “career-best”. She was nominated for the Golden Globe Award and the Critics’ Choice Award for Best Actress. And this is wel deserved. Seyfried is really amazing as Ann Lee and blew me away. The Testament of Ann Lee is a fantastic film that you have to see.
2. Skiff: Not only international films blew me away during the festival, but the Belgian films that premiered as well. One of the best films I saw was Skiff, a sensitive and intense coming‑of‑age drama, directed by Cecilia Verheyden, who also wrote it with Vincent Vanneste. Verheyden is mostly known for her work on the series Undercover and she also directed the prequel Ferry. This film is one of the most personal films she made and you can feel that when you’re watching it. Skiff stars Femke Vanhove in the lead role as Malou, alongside Lina Miftah, Natali Broods, Jeroen Van der Ven, Wout Vleugels, and Mil Sinaeve. The film follows Malou who faces inner conflicts as she grows up in a small town. Despite excelling in rowing at the local club, her life is far from easy. With her absent mother and the bullying from her teammates, Malou finds comfort in her older brother, Max. However, her life takes an unexpected turn when she develops feelings for Max’s new girlfriend, Nouria. This sets Malou on a path of self-discovery, as she begins to question her relationships and is forced to confront her true self, even if it puts her bond with her brother at risk. It’s a beautiful film about love and relationships. Skiff was released in theatres in Belgium on February 4th, so if you’re in Belgium, go watch it on the big screen.
3. Pillion: One of the films I looked forward to the most was Pillion, a romantic dark comedy drama film written and directed by Harry Lighton, and based on the 2020 novel Box Hill by Adam Mars-Jones. The film stars Harry Melling as a timid gay man and Alexander Skarsgård as an enigmatic biker who start a BDSM relationship. It had its premiere in the Un Certain Regard section of the Cannes Film Festival, where it won the section’s Best Screenplay prize and the Palm Dog for Mutt Moment, alongside nominations for the Caméra d’Or and the Queer Palm. It’s a beautiful film about identity and finding yourself, and it will make you laugh and cry.
4. The Shadow’s Edge: One of the biggest surprises for me, because you don’t usually find an action film in the program of a Filmfestival, but FFO had the guts to do it. It paid of, because this action thriller film, directed and written by Larry Yang, was a blast to see. It was a fun film with a lot of action and fight scenes and was something else from all those sad and heavy films. The Shadow’s Edge is loosely adapted from the Hong Kong action thriller Eye in the Sky (2007) by Yau Nai-hoi and stars Jackie Chan as a retired surveillance expert who returns to investigate a series of heists orchestrated by a long-time fugitive played by Tony Leung Ka-fai, and in turn he is joined by a rookie policewoman played by Zhang Zifeng. Jackie Chan still got it and the film was a lot of fun to see.
5. The Garden of Earthly Delights: From a fun film we go to one of the most confronting and unconformable films I saw at the Filmfestival, but also a must-watch. This Dutch dramafilm is set in the stormy slums of Manila, in the Philippines, and follows 11-year-old Ginto who has to fight for survival, respect and freedom. He dreams of becoming a gangster as a way out of poverty, all while dealing with his burgeoning identity, drug use, and tense family dynamics, including his protective sister who works in the sex trade. Their lives collide with Michael, a troubled Dutch tourist whose own world has collapsed, drawing both boys into the harsh underbelly of exploitation, inequality, and moral compromise. The film is directed by Morgan Knibbe, who won the Golden Calf award for Best Director at the Netherlands Film Festival in 2025. The Garden of Earthly Delights also received the press jury prize at FFO, which is well deserved, because it’s a film that confronts you with the reality of a lot of people in poverty. It’s a film everyone should see.
6. Clean: Another film that was confronting and that is a must-see was the closing film Clean. It’s directed by Koen Van Sande and is an intense family drama about Mathieu, an ambitious police officer in the Brussels drug unit whose ordered, disciplined life begins to unravel when his brother Timo, long absent and struggling with heroin addiction, reappears at the family’s Christmas gathering. Tibo Vandenborre stars as Mathieu and Vincent Van Sande as Timo, alongside Ruth Becquart, Martha Canga Antonio, Arber Aliaj, Katelijne Damen, and Shauna Dewit. The film is inspired by real-life themes and stories about addiction and family bonds, with director Koen Van Sande aiming to depict people with addiction as victims rather than criminals. Clean is a film that shows you that the war on drugs is not all about the drugs, but also political, something that is said in the film. Clean will be released in theatres in Belgium on March 11, so if you’re in Belgium, go watch it. It’s a film that everyone, and especially politicians, should see.