Roll out the red carpet: Belgium celebrates cinema with a flurry of film festivals this autumn

After the Brussels International Film Festival notched up record attendance at the end of summer, attention now turns to upcoming festivals launching the autumn cinematic season.

Belgium revels in an all-year-round roster of movie events, but this is the best time of year to catch national premières, special screenings, live events and in the case of these four festivals, a welcome shower of films from around the world.

On a practical note, individual tickets are available as well as festival passes. Some screenings are already selling out, so you are advised to reserve seats in advance.

International Francophone Film Festival Namur (FIFF) 30 September to 4 October

In response to turbulent times, the 41st edition of the Namur International Francophone Film Festival (FIFF) has chosen the theme “the bonds that shape and unite all of us” as its central theme.

Connections are explored in  films, with audiences and between local talent and artists from across the francophone world.

If the festival has again had to shorten its duration due to budgetary constraints, it still proposes almost 50 public screenings over its five days. The opening ceremony features a new comedy Ni vue, ni connue by Marc Fitoussi, starring Isabelle Huppert and Sandrine Kiberlain, who is attending the festival.

The award ceremony for the festival’s various competitions take place on 3 October, followed by the closing film Demain, je tombe amoureux (pictured above) by Martin Provost, which features Fabrice Luchini, Chiara Mastroianni and Carole Bouquet.

Among the highlights is the presence of French actress, screenwriter and director Nicole Garcia. Two films she directed, 7h40 ce matin-là (Fr 2026) and Mal de pierres (Fr 2016), are screened during the festival.

In addition to Kiberlain and Garcia, the public can also meet the French actress and director Géraldine Nakache. Naturally, there are numerous opportunities for socialising in the big tent erected in Place d’Armes, which hosts concerts, DJs sets and other activities.

Namur: Caméo Cinema, Delta, La Bourse

Korean Film Week  1 to 4 October

Showcasing the distinctive cinematic landscape of Korean film, this festival screens a diverse selection of recent releases that all possess elements of  ‘Intrigue.’

Staged by the Korean Cultural Center in Belgium & the EU, the programme offers a glimpse into Korean culture and society in its programme featuring a historical epic, a psychological thriller, a romance and a horror movie.

The film week opens with the award-winning Korean box-office hit The King’s Warden by Jang Hang-jun (2026). Set in some of the darkest chapters of the Joseon dynasty (1392-1910), the historical drama focuses on the human connections of ordinary people against a backdrop of court intrigue. Starring actor Yoo Hae-jin and K-pop idol Park Ji-hoon, it is the second-highest-grossing film in the history of Korean cinema.

This is followed by the romance, Once We Were Us, by Kim Do-young (2025) on 2 October. The intimate tale of two former lovers reuniting 10 years after their separation explores feelings, missed opportunities and ever-present regrets.

On 3 October, youth comedy Victory by Park Beom-soo (2024) follows a group of high school girls who transform their passion for dance into an adventure blending K-pop, hip-hop and cheerleading.

It’s a change of atmosphere in the ensuing title, Salmokji: Whispering Water (2026), as the horror movie plunges audiences into the mysterious world of Korean folklore. The psychological thriller is for mature audiences only.

The programme concludes on 4 October with the mystery thriller Confession (pictured above) by Yoon Jong-seol (2022). A man accused of murdering his mistress hires a supposedly infallible lawyer, but as memories resurface, truth and lies become indistinguishable.

All screenings are in their original Korean version, with subtitles in French, Dutch, and English.

Brussels: Palace Cinema, Cinéma Galeries

Film Fest Gent  7 to 18 October

More than 100 feature films, 40 shorts, two VR projects and 23 documentaries from 49 different countries are lined up for Belgium’s biggest film festival, themed ‘War in times of art.’

From promising debut features to multi-award-winning works, the movies have been selected to show that “art is more important than ever in these uncertain times,” says the festival of its 53rd edition.

Opening film Coward by Lukas Dhont demonstrates this theme in its tale of young soldiers in World War One attempting to briefly escape the horrors of the trenches by staging musical performances.

In a similar vein, the closing film Le Faux Soir (pictured above) by Michaël R Roskam pays tribute to one of Belgium’s bravest acts of resistance in World War Two when a fake newspaper was published as a satire during German occupation in 1943. 

Of course, conflict also extends to life experiences such as divorce and gender transition, which is explored in a number of titles. For its Classics programme, screenings of movies by the late French New Wave film director Éric Rohmer shows characters battling with their own inner demons rather than the outside world. In contrast, Argentine film collective El Pampero Cine is seen confronting the country's economic crisis by making films exuding a sense of freedom and unpredictability.

Some 30 previews include new Belgian productions: Nathalie Teirlinck’s Jonah Was Here and Kevin Janssens’ Breendonk. Meanwhile, new films by international stars such as Danny Boyle, Werner Herzog, Ryûsuke Hamaguchi and Paul Greengrass feature in the programme.

The Ghent festival also spotlights film music and hosts the World Soundtrack Awards, as well as staging concerts and other musical events. Composers from around the world gather for talks, workshops and masterclasses on the art of composition, including Trevor Jones, Hildur Guðnadóttir and Spinvis.

The 12 films in the official selection have a special soundtrack, which sometimes consists of game music 'Everytime'. One South African film, Variations on a Theme, is a reference to Bach's Goldberg Variations.

The Film Music Days culminate in the 26th WSA Ceremony & Concert on 10 October with live music performed by the Brussels Philharmonic directed by Dirk Brossé at Music Centre De Bijloke. Arts centre VIERNULVIER also organises the Videodroom festival, in which cult classic films are given a new soundtrack live.

There’s a special children's day showing five films on 11 October. “For some children, it is the very first time they have been in a cinema. We hope to plant a seed for the future there.”

Ghent: Kinepolis and other cinemas around the city

Brussels International Women’s Film Festival (Elles Tournent)  13 to 21 October

Formerly known as Elles Tournent, the Brussels International Women’s Film Festival (BIWFF) celebrates films directed by women, offering a rare opportunity to see films from around the world that would otherwise not be screened in Belgium.

The festival opens its 18th edition with Marie Madeleine (pictured above) by Haitian director Gessica Généus in a screening co-hosted with the Namur film festival, FIFF. Set in Haiti, it centres on an encounter between Marie Madeleine, who lives from prostitution, and Joseph, a young evangelist.

Meanwhile, the Closing Night features the Belgian premiere of Ton Animal Maternel by Valentina Maurel. The ensemble film about a mother and her two daughters returning to their native Costa Rica.

Other highlights include a series of collaborations with Brussels institutions. Ellas en la ciudad with Instituto Cervantes, Le Bambine with the Italian Cultural Institute, and Orca with Art Cantara. A screening of Les Petites Victoires, in partnership with EQLA, is accessible to blind and visually impaired audiences through audio description.

The programme also showcases international short films and the Graines de Cinéastes National Short Film Competition that spotlights emerging filmmakers in Belgium.

The BIWFF offers two special screenings: As liñas descontinuas by Anxos Fazáns at the Instituto Cervantes in Brussels on 20 October, and Happy Birthday at the Caméo cinema in Namur on 27 October.

From 19 to 21 October, the festival moves to CINEMATEK for the programme “Traces and Horizons” that celebrates three major Latin American women directors: Matilde Landeta, Suzana Amaral and María Luisa Bemberg.

The festival’s ‘Godmother’ is the Ivorian-Belgian actress Yves-Marina Gnahoua. All but one of the feature-length films is shown with English subtitles.

Brussels: UGC De Brouckère, Aventure, Galeries and CINEMATEK

Photos: Courtesy Gent Film Fest; Demain je tombe amoureux ©Les Films Du Kiosque/Christine Tamalet; Confession (Korean Film Week); Le Faux Soir (Gent Fim Fest); Marie Madeleine (BIWF)