PLAY

22 MEI

Koen Mortier

Synopsis
22nd of May depicts the various victims of a suicide bombing. Sam, a rather ordinary-looking 40-year-old, works as a security guard at the shopping mall. His life is plunged into turmoil the day a young man carrying a backpack blows himself up there. Sam tries to save the victims, but at the end he runs off. Later he encounters all the people he saved. They all think that somehow he is responsible for what happened.

Credits
Director – Koen Mortier
Writer – Koen Mortier
Producer – Eurydice Gysel & Koen Mortier (CCCP)
Co-producers – Ryva (Eric Van Zuylen), Ijswater Films (Marc Bary), Revolver (Raymond Van Der Kaaij) & The Post Republic (Michael Reuter)
Cinematographer – Glynn Speeckaert
Editor – Nico Leunen
Art Director – Geert Paredis
Cast – Sam Louwyck, Titus De Voogdt, Steffi Peeters, Gunther Lamoot, Wim Willaert, Jan Hammenecker & Norman Baert

Funding 
VAF (Flanders Audiovisual Fund), CCA (Centre du Cinéma et de l’Audiovisuel de la Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles), NFF (Netherlands Film Fund)
Supported by Rotterdam Mediafund, Digital Freedom Fund, RFF, KFD, Cinéart, Canvas, Belgian Tax Shelter

Sales & Distribution
Kinepolis Film Distribution & Cinéart

Bio director
Koen Mortier has been active in the film world as an author, director and producer. He set his first step into the film industry with 2 shorts: ‘Ana Temnei’ and ‘A Hard Day’s Work’. In 2007 Koen directed ‘Ex Drummer’, which received many festival selections and prizes and was sold to more than 20 countries. Three years later his second film followed: ‘22nd of May’ that also won prizes and was sold to 10 countries. Koen directed a 7’-short ‘Playing away from Home’. It was part of the worldwide project ‘Short Plays’. His third feature film ‘Un Ange’ was released at TIFF 2018. Currently, he has undertaken 2 ambitious projects: Voices Of Liberation, an 11 part docu-series about WW2, and Skunk, a feature film about mistreated children and revenge based off of the book ‘Skunk’ by Geert Taghon.

Awards

  • Winner Best Feature at Mexico International Film Festival, 2011
  • Selected for Toronto International Film Festival, 2011
  • Selected for Rotterdam International Film Festival, 2011
  • Selected for Oldenburg International Film Festival, 2011
  • Selected for Hong Kong International Film Festival, 2011
  • Nominated for Global Landscapes Competition at Cinequest San Jose Film Festival, 2011
  • Nominated for Best Cinematography & Best Music at Film Festival Oostende, 2011
  • Nominated for Best Flemish Co-production at Magritte Awards, 2012
  • Nominated for Contemporary World Cinema at Seattle International Film Festival, 2011

 

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