(Please note: the lecture will be held in Dutch)
In November, Kazerne Dossin and Filmhuis Mechelen are hosting two events on cinema in occupied Belgium, in collaboration with the Willemsfonds. Roel Vande Winkel tells the story of cinema and its audience during the occupation. Having conducted research in international archives for twenty-five years, he has set down his findings in an accessible and compelling book. He examines the occupier’s influence on programming, resistance actions against collaboration in the film industry, and the tragic fate of Jews in Belgian cinema. The book will be published in November and will be presented during two unique events at Kazerne Dossin and Filmhuis Mechelen.
- Book presentation and lecture: Jews and Cinema in Occupied Belgium at Kazerne Dossin on Sunday, 15 November 2026.
- Film screening: at Filmhuis Mechelen on Monday, 23 November 2026.
Tickets will be available soon.
About Bioscoop in Bezet België (Cinema in Occupied Belgium)
May 1940. With the German invasion, the Belgian cinema landscape changes radically. Movie theatres close, American films disappear from the screens. Productions featuring Jewish actors are banned. What remains is a strictly controlled program consisting mainly of German, French, and Italian films. No more Charlie Chaplin or Greta Garbo; stars like Hans Albers and Zarah Leander dominate the silver screen. Though audiences initially hesitate, cinemas soon fill up again, with over one hundred thousand tickets sold weekly. Even in wartime, film remains a source of entertainment, escape, and sometimes propaganda.
Roel Vande Winkel is a professor at KU Leuven and lecturer at LUCA School of Arts. He specializes in media and cultural history of film and media during World War I and World War II.
Organized in collaboration with Willemsfonds Mechelen, Filmhuis Mechelen, and the 8 May Committee Mechelen-Lier. Supported by deMens.nu.