Definition May/June 2025 - Web

INTERNATIONAL INDUSTRIES

CHANGE OF SCENE In Bruges (left), Titane (middle) and Close (right) mark Belgium’s journey from underdog to global contender

successful at Cannes; Titane won the Palme d’Or in 2021, while Close took the Grand Prix in 2022 (read our interview with the film’s director-and-DOP duo on page 58!). “It creates a lot of visibility for the market,” states Mertens. OPEN FOR ALL Another way that Belgium promotes its talent is through the SBC. Founded in 1994, the society is now 121 members strong and spans all ages and experience levels, from ‘people in their twenties’ to those who are ‘probably 85’, guesses Mertens. “We try to accept a broad range of people; we’re pretty open. We’re not trying to be elitist in our selection,” he shares. While it’s an honour to be initiated, the SBC is about more than a label. “We want to focus on communication between DOPs and knowledge exchange. That’s something I’m personally involved with,” Mertens describes. He runs the website – sbcine.be – which contains interviews, industry news, a list of films made by members and so on. “We see ourselves as a storefront of our DOPs to the world.” Cinematographers can either apply or be invited to become a member. Then, they need to have the support of two existing members and send a letter of interest. “Based on that and their work, there’s a vote within the board members

to accept someone,” says Mertens, who’s one of nine people involved in the decision. “It’s pretty straightforward, and it’s a process that can go quickly.” Members receive special access to organised screenings, Q&A sessions, workshops and more. “For example, we had workshops on different kinds of technologies and post-production,” Mertens details. “Those are open to our members, but we also open them up to students. We have that interaction between people who are experienced and people who still want to learn.” Finally, the SBC partners with film festivals in Belgium and abroad. HOMEGROWN Thanks to its smaller-in-scale industry, Mertens believes that Belgian filmmakers are more resourceful than most. “We tend to have solutions that are more efficient or cost-effective. We don’t always need huge crews,” he claims. Another advantage of being Belgian is access to productions both at home and afar. “Personally, I try to mix them. I have learnt ways of doing things abroad that I can bring back home and say, ‘I’ve seen how they do it over there; maybe we should have a look’.” Rather than worrying about Belgian talent finding work elsewhere, Mertens views the situation as a positive. “If

everyone had to stay within the Belgian market, it would be very crowded. It’s made our crews better since they’ve been exposed to different techniques that they otherwise wouldn’t have.” With Belgium’s film industry still growing in scope and status: “What the future will bring, nobody really knows.” WE TEND TO HAVE solutions that are more cost-effective . WE DON’T ALWAYS need huge crews ”

Learn more at sbcine.be

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