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Monir Ait Hamou, Ish Ait Hamou

BXL

Director Monir Ait Hamou, Ish Ait Hamou Composer Jean-Luc Fafchamps Cast Fouad Hajji, Yassir Drief, Geert Van Rampelberg, Ruth Becquart, Lauren Versnick, Aimé Claeys
110' - 2024 - Drama - Format: DCP - Dialogue: Arabic, Dutch, French

Two brothers, Tarek (26) and Fouad (12), unexpectedly get a chance to escape their current lives, but their chances turn faster than expected. In addition to brotherly love and big dreams, brothers Ish and Monir Ait Hamou show in their directorial debut BXL the fierce battle between personal ambitions and social expectations in the heart of Brussels, according to Ish "one of the most frowned upon, marginalised neighbourhoods in Brussels".

What if your dreams are bigger than the expectations others have? The debut feature by writer/dancer/filmmaker Ish Ait Hamou and his brother Monir shows two brothers struggling with this. While the older brother gets the chance to pursue his martial arts career in the US and leave behind his life as a factory worker in Brussels for a while, the youngest struggles with the expectations and pressures of those around him. "One of the questions we - children of immigrants - wanted to explore is whether a dream is a gift or a curse", Ish told Screen Daily. "Some cannot deal with destroyed dreams, especially if it comes from systematic pressure, racism and discrimination." BXL is by no means just a personal story of two brothers from Brussels, but also a reflection on how society affects our dream life.

Part of VRT CANVAS Select

Image gallery

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Credits

Directors

Monir Ait Hamou, Ish Ait Hamou

Composers

Jean-Luc Fafchamps

Cast

Fouad Hajji, Yassir Drief, Geert Van Rampelberg, Ruth Becquart, Lauren Versnick, Aimé Claeys

Scenario

Monir Ait Hamou, Ish Ait Hamou

Director of Photography

Maximiliaan Dierickx

Editors

Nico Leunen

Producers

Peter De Maegd

Production studios

Potemkino

Distributor

Paradiso Filmed Entertainment NV

More info

Dialogue

Arabic, Dutch, French

Countries of production

Belgium

Year

2024

Filmography

Monir Ait Hamou
Champion (TV Mini Series 2018)
Ish Ait Hamou
Klem (short 2018)

Technical Specs

Format
DCP