Behind the Shutters
Derrière les volets
by Messaline Raverdy
Synopsis
The doors of the abandoned Raverdy coffee and chicory factory remain closed, just like everything around it. The director – herself a descendant of the Raverdy family (and expecting her first child) – goes in search of the stories behind this sealed-off part of the city. She moves in with her 91-year-old grandmother, who lives over the road. Piece by piece, she is able to reconstruct events leading up to the factory’s closure, using old photos, advertising brochures, myths, language games, conversations with her grandmother and former female factory workers. These memories unfold through different storylines. The factory’s surroundings are explored through a poetic film style, and the history of the nunnery next to the factory is also revealed. This sensitive film is a reflection on the invisible and the forgotten, revolving around women and the changing body.
Credits
Directing: Messaline Raverdy
Image & Sound: Olivier Dekegel, Benjamin Liberda, Clément Losson
Editing: Ivanne de Cannart, Ridi Maerten
Mixing: Remi Gérard
Color correction: Miléna Trivier
Music: Hilde Nash
Production: L’atelier Molloy
Coproduction: CBA/SIC
A film developed in the framework of SIC
More Information
Year: 2018
Duration: 51’
Language: French
Subtitles: English
Trailer: https://mubi.com/films/behind-the-shutters-2018
Cinergie.be, article by Bertrand Gevart, 25/09/2020
Interview, at Festival Black Canvas, Mexico (2019)
Article by Chelsea Phillips-Carr , 28/04/19
Interview, at Festival Olhar de Cinema, Brasil (2018)
Festivals
Festivals:
Dresdner Film Festival Schmalfilmtage, DE, 2021
MOCA. Museo Online de Cine Autobiográfico, Program around Belgian cinema, ES, 15-21 april, 2021
Online on Doc Alliance, dafilms.com, 10/2020
5th Working Title Film Festival, Italie, 2020
Argos TV11 online: 29 May – 5 June, Argos, BE, 2020
Black Canvas Festival de Cine Contemporáneo, Mexico, 10/2019
Festival Cámara Lúcida – Encuentros Cinematográficos, Equateur, 2019
26e Hot Docs Festival, “World Showcase” section, 2019
Projection at Argos, Black Box, mars – avril, BE 2019
Bergamo Film meeting, Bergamo, Italie, 2019
Millenium Festival, Brussels, BE, 2019
IFFR International Film Festival Rotterdam, Pays Bas, NL, 2019
Preview at Bozar, Brussels, 2018
Festival “Les écrans du réel”, Le Mans, France, 2018
Awards
Young Jury Award at Black Canvas Festival de Cine Contemporáneo, Mexico, 10/2019
Best Film at Film Festival Olhar de Cinema – Curitiba Int’l Film Festival, Brasil, 2018
Grand Prix du Jury at Festival de L’Acharnière, Lille, France, 2018
