Belgium

Belgium

The latter three short films on the program (Peace, Death of a Shadow, and Tunnelrat) were made by filmmakers in Flanders, Belgium (where, amazingly, five major battles were fought), and commemorate the centenary in different ways.

Forgotten Treasure
1943. USA. Directed by Sammy Lee. This MGM film showing footage from the 1910 funeral of British King Edward VII features the major royal players in the forthcoming war, including Austrian Archduke Ferdinand, whose assassination started things in motion. 10 min.

Peace
2014. Belgium. Twelve one-minute animations made by 12 different filmmakers. 12 min.

DOON VAN EEN SCHADUW (Death of a Shadow)
2014. Belgium. Directed by Tom Van Avermaet. A haunting and experimental Oscar-nominated film. In Dutch, French; English subtitles. 20 min.

Tunnelrat
2014. Belgium. Directed by Raf Reyntjens. A portrait of the gruesomeness and grotesquerie of trench warfare. In English, German; English subtitles. 20 min.

Maudite Soit la Guerre
1913. Belgium. Directed by Alfred Machin. This short feature that anticipated the Great War is presented in a stunning tinted restoration by the Cinematheque Royale, Brussels. Approx. 50 min.

Program approx. 120 min.

Silent, with English intertitles and musical accompaniment

Introduced by Nicolas Polet, Flanders House