My Queen Karo, 2009
ANNE CLAIRE
Can you make a living from your art?
RAVEN
I do it for the people, not for the money.
ANNE CLAIRE
Then what do you live on?
RAVEN
Love.
ANNE CLAIRE
Love and water.
Synopsis: A young girl witnesses the moral dilemmas of free love when her parents join a squatter community in 1970s Amsterdam.
Cast: Anna Franziska Jäger * Matthias Schoenaerts * Déborah François * Maria Kraakman * Rifka Lodeizen * Christelle Cornil * Samuel du Chatinier * Cezanne Q. Cuypers
Year:2009 | Length:97’| format:35mm |
Language:Dutch | Subtitles:Eng & Fr
Screenplay: Dorothée van den Berghe
Peter van Kraaij
Director: Dorothée van den Berghe
Co-director: Eddy Stevesyns
DOP: Jan Vancaillie
Editor: Marie-Hélène Dozo
Music: Peter Vermeersch
Production: CAVIAR
Co-production: IDTV Film
Tarantula
Producers: Bert Hamelinck
Kato Maes
Frank Van Passel
Co-producers: Frans Van Gestel
Jeroen Beker
Joseph Rouschop
Sound: Christian Monheim
Art director: Gert Stas
Costume designer: Bernadette Corstens
Make-up: Daphne Zwanenberg
Prizes & Mentions:
*Créteil: Women’s Film Festival: Youth Prize
*Flemish Film Prizes: Best Female Lead
Festivals:
*Rotterdam:39th International Film Festival ‘2010
*Canada:“Toronto International Film Festival ‘2009
*Créteil, France: 32nd International Festival: Films de Femmes ‘2010
*Belgium: Flemish Film Prizes ‘2010
*Spain: 54th International Film Festival of Valladolid ‘2009
*Amsterdam: Filmmuseum ‘2010
*Namur/Namen: 24th International Film Festival ‘2009
*USA: Tribeca Film Festival ‘2010
*Belgium: 1st Ceremony of “Les Magritte du Cinéma” ‘2011
*Belgium: Ostend Film Festival ‘2010
Press:
*Sight & Sound:
“A libertarian commune in Amsterdam during the 1970s is viewed through the eyes of a child who ‘suffers’ the experience morally, in the depths of her little soul. But what an extraordinary child – and what an extraordinarily conceived set-up. The energy, colour and inventiveness of the playing lift this movie to a very high level”.
*Humo:
“The beauty of My Queen Karo is that we are watching through the eyes of a child. Ten-year-old Karo does have fun in the commune, but she also senses that something is horribly wrong. (...) Karo's youthful point of view - her confusion, her uncertainty - sets the tone, mood and style of the film. The images are beautifully sprinkled with the odeur of childhood".
*De Standaard:
“As an intimist sketch of a time with a very distinct zeitgeist, this is a delight. Even if people are wearing crazy clothes or none at all, you don't notice for a moment that you are watching a film about the past. The fluid, sometimes dreamy imagery creates the fine illusion that you are there in Karo's wake. The young Anne Franziska Jäger plays for guide with telling ease".
*Het Parool:
"Partly due to the beautifully restrained acting of newcomer Anne Franziska Jäger, My Queen Karo convinces as a character sketch of a girl whose development is severely held back by her parents' selfishness. At least as strong is the portrayal of the times. Van den Berghe does not close her eyes to the downsides of ideals of freedom that have gone too far. But she also shows Amsterdam as an exciting city, overflowing with revolutionary élan in the seventies."
*De Volkskrant:
"Without making her film accusatory, van den Berghe holds up all the crazy ideas of the free-spirited 1970s. At the same time, My Queen Karo is a declaration of love to the freedom and creativity of the era. The careful design and all the actors’ excellent acting make the film a joy to watch."
*De Telegraaf:
"Dorothée van den Berghe infuses her affecting film with a fairy-tale atmosphere, partly through the beautiful colours. Matthias Schoenaerts is compelling as Raven, a role that earned him the nickname of the 'Flemish Viggo Mortenson' in Toronto."
*Le Soir:
"Anne Franziska Jäger is formidable in the lead role, with Matthias Schoenaerts and Déborah François playing her parents in a highly credible manner. The film's production is well done, and the direction is lively".
