Kim Sattler/FIFCL
We’ve seen it all, read it all, heard it all. Libération headlined “Cinéma: la maison brûle et nous regardons Netflix”, Jamel Debbouze advised “Ayez en confiance vous et aimez le cinéma” (Have faith in yourself and love the cinema), and cinema-goers assured us that “Ce n’est plus comme avant” (It’s not like it used to be). What should we think about the state of cinema in Belgium in 2023?
This was the theme of the 3rd Rencontres Professionnelles of the Liège International Comedy Film Festival, organized into 2 round tables moderated by Philippe Reynaert. Compared to the situation in France, where box-office analysts distinguish between cinemas in Paris and those in the provinces, the first panel brought together the Liège microsome of city cinemas. The second looked at the cinemas of the countryside, interviewing the players in provincial cinemas. How can we compete with the sofa, make people want to go out and enjoy a collective experience? Do we need to rethink our business models?