WASTE LAND
Synopsis
Brussels. Dealing with the capital’s grim underbelly on a daily basis, taciturn homicide detective Leo Woeste lives with Kathleen and her five-year-old son. But his convictions start to crumble when Kathleen unexpectedly becomes pregnant. His very last homicide case, involving a death-obsessed dealer in Congolese cult statues, slowly drags him deeper into the waste land, far away from his wife and his role as a father.
Credits
Director – Pieter Van Hees
Writer – Pieter Van Hees
Producers – Eurydice Gysel & Koen Mortier (Epidemic)
Co-producer – Versus Production (Jacques-Henri Bronckart)
Cinematography – Menno Mans
Editor – Nico Leunen
Art Director – Geert Paredis
Cast – Jérémie Renier, Natali Broods, Babetida Sadjo, Peter Van den Begin, Peter Van den Eede, Mourade Zeguendi
Funding
VAF (Flanders Audiovisual Fund), CCA (Centre du Cinéma et de l’Audiovisuel de la Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles), Wallimage/Bruxellimage
Supported by Telenet, 2BE, Belgian Tax Shelter
Sales & Distribution
Distributed by O’ brother
Sales – Be for Films
Bio director
After making several short films with strong festival careers writer-director Pieter Van Hees embarked on a trilogy of features called ‘Anatomy of Love and Pain’, in which he dissects all aspects of a relationship. Part 1, ‘Left Bank, was released March 2008 to great critical acclaim and enjoyed a 13 week-run in Belgian theatres. It premiered internationally at the Edinburgh Film festival and was selected for festivals. Part 2 ‘Dirty Mind’, was released in 2008. Part 3, ‘Waste Land’, had its world premiere in Toronto in 2015. The way these three films combine a highly original way of storytelling with a very nu visual style make Pieter Van Hees quite a unique voice in Belgian cinema.
Festival selections & Awards
- Winner Best Screenplay, Best Supporting Actress, Best Supporting Actor & Best Director at Film Festival Oostende, 2015
- Winner Cineuropa Award at Les Arcs European Film Festival, 2014
- Selected for Toronto International Film Festival, 2014
- Selected for Austin Fantastic Film Festival, 2014
- Selected for Busan International Film Festival, 2014
- Nominated for Best Film, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Production Design, Best Make-up, Best Costume Design, Best Editor & Best Music at Film Festival Oostende, 2015
- Nominated for Best Film at Ghent International Film Festival, 2014
- Nominated for Crystal Arrow at Les Arcs European Film Festival, 2014
- Nominated for Best Supporting Actress & Best Flemish Co-production at Magritte Awards, 2015
- Nominated for German Independence Award (Audience Award) at Oldenburg Film Festival, 2015