Bas Devos –– (Zoersel, Belgium, 1983) since graduating has been directing four short films and he completed his debut feature film, Violet, in 2014. With Violet he won the Grand Prix of the Generation 14plus International Jury at Berlinale Generations 14plus section and he was selected for New Directors New Films at The MoMA New York. His second feature was selected for Berlinale Panorama in 2019 and won the prize for best director in Hong Kong. Ghost Tropic is his third feature and It was premiered in the Directors’ Fortnight section at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival.

«I want portray a “Brussels woman” like the ones I see in la Cité, in Molenbeek or in the metro. Through the portrait of this woman, I may be able to talk about a little about this generation of under-exposed and under-represented women. The aim of the film is also to depart from the fragmentary nature of my two previous films.

After Violet and Hellhole, I wanted to make a film that can be viewed as a snapshot. In this case, a single night. With a short epilogue that takes place in a different time and place. The timeline is linear. The scenes merge into one another. And eventually, the starting point of the plot had to be a simple, almost banal incident: a woman, Khadija, falls asleep on the last train after work and is forced to walk home through Brussels by night.

By creating a minimalist portrait, both in terms of content and form, I believe that I can reduce the distance between the viewer and Khadija’s character. I wanted to make her visible and tangible. To achieve that, I aim to create as much space as possible in which to look at her. Simplicity is therefore important in order to be able to show her in all her complexity.»

Ghost Tropic (2019)

Hellh Le (Hellhole, 2019)

Violet (2014)

We Know (short, 2009)

The Close (short, 2007)

Pillar (short, 2006)

Taurus (short, 2005)