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Belgian Movie â€œHopâ€ opens European Film Festival in Baku

08 December 2010 13:49 (UTC +04:00)

Baku. Viktoriya Dementyeva-APA. On 10 December Belgian Movie â€œHopâ€ opens European Film Festival in Baku. As APA was told in Embassy of Belgium in Azerbaijan, as Belgium currently holds the Presidency of the EU, it has the honor to provide the opening movie.
The film came out in the autumn of 2002. â€œHopâ€ was also the opening movie of the International Film Festival of Gent in 2002, of the 15 days of Belgian cinema at the Lincoln Center in New York in 2003 and of the Belgian week at the International Festival of Valladolid (Spain) 2003. In total, the film received 13 national and international prizes.
It is a story of illegal immigrants, Justin and his father Diedonne, living in Brussels who face deportation. On the run, Justin must embark on a thrilling adventure to re-unite with his father.
APA had an interview with Director of the film Dominique Standaert.

-Your film "Hop" is a story of illegal immigrants, who face deportation. Do you think the topic is still live, actual issue for Europe countries?

The topic is more than ever actual. Some situations, especially in
winter are dramatic. I don’t see any quick issue. If a solution exits it must be a global
one but who’s ready?

-What new stories are you planning to film near future?

I’m actually working on two totally different scripts. One is an adaptation from a short novel of Joseph Conrad, the writer of Heart of Darkness and Lord Jim. The action happens in Congo.
The other one is a pure comedy about old people who have to organize a hold up to raise money for their old time.

-Any plans to make movie not only about European countries but might be about eastern ones?

Joseph Conrad is coming from Poland... I would like to shoot in Eastern countries but to do so, you need a good topic. In fact, itâ€™s always difficult to shoot in another country because the risk to fall in a form of caricature is big.

-How do you think the European movie festival and your movie "Hop" demonstrating in Azerbaijan can promote relations between our country and EU?

Culture exchange is for me very important. You may sometime learn more
by watching a movie than by reading Wikileaks...