Working Grant - Silent Stories

BRUSSELS - In Silent Stories Hanne Phlypo and Catherine Vuysteke follow two men and two women from Algeria, Senegal, Iraq and Guinea whose sexual orientation forced them to leave their country - wether they were bisexual, homosexual, lesbian or transsexual. Three of them are rebuilding their lives in Belgium, for the fourth, the Iraq transsexual Sarah, long years of waiting have finally resulted in political asylum and the prospect of a gender operation.

Different as the four characters might be in terms of age, social and educational background and country of origin, what binds them is their emotional struggle, their grief for what they lost and their hope for what the future might bring.

The directors chose not to threat their characters in a serial way  but preferred a kaleidoscopic approach, which is both poetic and intimate. They don't want to convince, inform or educate the spectators, their mere aim is to move them profoundly, and thus transform the hard lives of these protagonists into those of the viewers, at least for an instant.

File number: 

2009/774

11.550 euro granted 30/11/2009

 

Authors

Hanne Phlypo

Hanne Phlypo (°1984) graduated from INSAS (Institut National Supérieur des Arts de Spectacle et de la Diffusion) in Brussels in 2006. Thereafter she explored all aspects of filmmaking. With Antoine Vermeesch she set up her own production company, Clin d'oeil. Silent Stories is her first documentary project.

 

Catherine Vuylsteke

Catherine Vuylsteke (°1964) is sinologist, writer and journalist with the Belgian newspaper De Morgen since 1989. She wrote two books on contemporary Chinese society and in 2008 her book 'Onder Mannen, het verzwegen leven van Marokkaanse homo's' was published. This well recieved piece of literary non-fiction was the basis for the coöperation with Hanne Phlypo on 'Silent Stories'.