Julie zwijgt

BELGIUM, SVEDEN

2024 – DCP – color – 100’

Direction: Leonardo van Dijl
Screenplay: Leonardo Van Dijl, Ruth Becquart
Cinematography: Nicolas Karakatsanis
Editing: Bert Jacobs
Set design: Julien Denis
Music: Caroline Shaw
Costumes: Ellen Blereau
Cast: Tessa Van den Broeck (Julie), Ruth Becquart (Liesbeth), Koen De Bouw (Tom), Claire Bodson (Sofie),
Laurent Caron (Jeremy)
Producers: Gilles De Schryver, Gilles Coulier, Wouter Sap, Roxanne Sarkozi in coproduzione con in coproduction with Delphine Tomson, Luc Dardenne, Jean-Pierre Dardenne, Nima Yousefi, Kristina Börjeson, Anthony Muir
Production: De Wereldvrede (Be) in coproduzione con in coproduction with Les Films du Fleuve (Be), Hobab (Se), Film I Väst (Se)
World Sales: New Europe Film Sales

Synopsis

As the star player at an elite tennis academy, Julie’s life revolves around the game she loves. When her coach falls under investigation and is suddenly suspended, all of the club’s players are encouraged to speak up. But Julie decides to keep quiet…

Director’s statement

“It’s a film about silence. I approached the movie with the idea that silence is universal, and we all somehow have silences in us. I use the word “silence”, not “secrets”. Silence can be things that you don’t want to talk about, that you don’t know how to talk about, that you would like to talk about but can’t, or that you’re not able to talk about. I felt the question of silence was the right angle to tell my story, and to talk about the world we live in. And I also hoped the story would feel as timeless as it does universal. For me, Julie’s journey is almost mythical, in the way that it’s like an Ancient Greek story. She’s a tragic heroine, in the vein of Hercules or Antigone. My challenge was to make the silence loud.”

awards

2024 Cannes Film Festival – Semaine de la Critique: Premio SACD, Premio Fondazione Gan Prix SACD, Prix Fondation GAN