THE WHITE KING

When you are twelve years old, you like to play games, go on a pick nick with your parents and enjoy those precious times without hesitation. But when you’re living in a dystopian future that resembles a lot like a version of capitalist communism, you know that those moments will not last long. Djata gets his first life lesson when his father is forced to go to “work” at the military office and never comes back. After a couple of months that feel like years to him, Djata decides to enroll in the local branch of the fascist police, because that is the best a kid at his age can get. But when you’ve inherited a bit of rebel DNA, you don’t easily fit in with the other brainwashed boys. Before they took his dad away, he passed on a secret to Djata that could change everything. But will it be enough to break free from a regime that doesn’t like secrets? This adaptation of György Dragoman’s The White King is a strong warning against what society could look like if we put too much authoritarian strongmen in power (we’re not giving any names, but you know who we’re talking about). The dystopian future created by Alex Helfrecht and Jörg Tittel has a disturbing resemblance with many things we already see today. Thanks to a wonderful cast, among whom Jonathan Pryce (Brazil), Fiona Shaw (Harry Potter) and Greta Scacchi (The Player), we get a glimpse of what could be in store for us. And guess where Jörg Tittel, who was born in Belgium, got his first movie thrills? At the BIFFF, of course!