Summer Retrospectives and Back 2 School

Belgian cinemas are enjoying an unusually rich summer of retrospectives, bringing restored films by Jacques Tati, Ingmar Bergman and Akira Kurosawa back to the big screen, with Jacques Demy joining the line-up in September. Tati’s six features are screening across Brussels, Antwerp, Ghent, Hasselt, Bruges, Mechelen and Charleroi: Jour de fête (1949), Les vacances de Monsieur Hulot (1953), Mon oncle (1958), PlayTime (1967), Trafic (1971) and Parade (1974). Bergman’s work remains on screen in Leuven, Hasselt, Ghent, Antwerp, Bruges and Mechelen, while Ghent also hosts Studio Skoop’s Kurosawa retrospective. From 2 September, Studio Skoop, Flagey in Brussels and Lumière Antwerp turn to Jacques Demy, with five restored films celebrating the French director’s musical cinema.

From 10 September, De Cinema in Antwerp presents the second chapter of Back 2 School, screening Deaf (Frederick Wiseman, 1986), Writing Life – Annie Ernaux Through the Eyes of High School Students (Claire Simon, 2026), Homework (Abbas Kiarostami, 1989), Grands travaux (Olivia Rochette & Gerard-Jan Claes, 2016), and One Hundred Children Waiting for a Train (Ignacio Agüero, 1988), in combination with So Can I (Abbas Kiarostami, 1975).