The Barefoot Emperor

  • 98'
  • Belgium
  • 2019

Once again, Peter Van den Begin plays the dryly comedic focal point of this follow-up to festival smash King of the Belgians, about a wimpy king trying to return to his restless homeland. After viewers have been brought up to speed on the last part's events, King Nicolas ends up in Sarajevo, where the assassination of Franz Ferdinand is being re-enacted. The Belgian head of state is wounded and wakes up in a Croatian sanatorium, where the semi-crazed director (Udo Kier at his best) gives patients the names of former heads of state. From then on he is addressed as Brezhnev. Incidentally: the end of Belgium has led to the collapse of the European Union and the roles for the New Europe need to be assigned.

It's all about theatre and staging in The Barefoot Emperor, making this the opposite number of fake documentary King of the Belgians. Show politics taken to absurd levels with venomous asides proving just how contemporary this satire is.

Directors
Peter Brosens, Jessica Woodworth
Countries of production
Belgium, Netherlands
Year
2019
Festival Edition
IFFR 2020
Length
98'
Medium
DCP
Languages
English, French, Dutch
Producers
Peter Brosens, Jessica Woodworth
Production Companies
Bo Films, Topkapi Films
Sales
Be For Films
Screenplay
Jessica Woodworth, Peter Brosens
Cinematography
Ton Peters
Editor
David Verdurme
Production Design
Sabina Christova
Sound Design
Charo Calvo
Cast
Peter Van den Begin, Lucie Debay, Udo Kier, Geraldine Chaplin, Bruno Georis, Titus De Voogdt, Darko Stazić
Local Distributor
Cinemien
Directors
Peter Brosens, Jessica Woodworth
Countries of production
Belgium, Netherlands
Year
2019
Festival Edition
IFFR 2020
Length
98'
Medium
DCP
Languages
English, French, Dutch
Producers
Peter Brosens, Jessica Woodworth
Production Companies
Bo Films, Topkapi Films
Sales
Be For Films
Screenplay
Jessica Woodworth, Peter Brosens
Cinematography
Ton Peters
Editor
David Verdurme
Production Design
Sabina Christova
Sound Design
Charo Calvo
Cast
Peter Van den Begin, Lucie Debay, Udo Kier, Geraldine Chaplin, Bruno Georis, Titus De Voogdt, Darko Stazić
Local Distributor
Cinemien