'Julie Keeps Quiet' set for Belgian premiere at Film Fest Gent 2024

In May, Leonardo van Dijl was the only Belgian director to attend the Croisette in Cannes. His compelling feature debut Julie Keeps Quiet was presented there in the Semaine de la Critique, the oldest parallel section of the Cannes Film Festival, and won two awards. The international press - including Variety, The Guardian and The Hollywood Reporter - praised the film for its urgent theme and unpretentious style.

Van Dijl responded at the time that “Julie will be heard and seen and her story will be discovered by the whole world.” Also in Ghent, that is. The film will celebrate its official Belgian premiere on Thursday evening 10 October, during the 51st edition of Film Fest Gent as part of the section Gala & Specials.

Tennis promise

Julie Keeps Quiet, produced by De Wereldvrede, is about 15-year-old Julie, a big tennis promise at a Belgian club. Everything in Julie's life revolves around the sport. When the coach who could take her to the top is suddenly suspended, the club launches an investigation. All players are encouraged to tell their experiences. But Julie remains silent.

The titular character is played by newcomer and tennis player Tessa Van den Broeck. Alongside her are Koen De Bouw, Tijmen Govaerts, Sophie Decleir and Ruth Becquart, who co-wrote the screenplay with director Leonardo van Dijl. The 35-mm cinematography is by Nicolas Karakatsanis (Rundskop; I, Tonya), while Bert Jacobs (Zillion, De dag) supervised the editing. Multiple Grammy Award-winner Caroline Shaw wrote the music score.

Silence

Leonardo van Dijl studied at the RITCS and LUCA School of Arts in Brussels and won a VAF Wildcard in 2015 for his graduation film. With his VAF Wildcard, he made the short film Stephanie (2020), which was selected for the short film competition in Cannes and also screened in San Sebastián and Toronto. Both films, like Julie Keeps Quiet, focus on the world of competitive sports world and were screened at Film Fest Gent.

With Julie Keeps Quiet, van Dijl made a film about silence, not an obvious choice for a first feature, but an important one for the director, because we all keep quiet about things. A universal theme, in other words. That theme also touched Japanese tennis star and four-time Grand Slam winner Naomi Osaka, who in 2021 was one of the first top athletes to speak openly about the price of the immense psychological pressure in the sports world. With her production company Hana Kuma, she lent her support to van Dijl's project. Last week, it was announced that the film has been shortlisted for the 37th European Film Awards.