“As 39 lives are lost before the kickoff of the 1985 European Cup Final at Brussels' Heysel Stadium, the mayor’s daughter, his press attaché, and a Belgian-Italian journalist covering the event are thrust into the chaos. The journalist fears for his family in the stands, while the press attaché is torn between loyalty and duty. Confronted with profound personal and professional dilemmas, both must navigate the unfolding tragedy, grappling with questions of morality, responsibility, and survival,” reads the synopsis of the film.
Lode Desmet, Isabelle Darras and Teodora Ana Mihai penned the script. Josse de Pauw, Matteo Simoni, Fabrizio Rongione and Violet Braeckman are already confirmed for the main roles.
The Belgian companies Menuetto Film and Les Films du Fleuve are producing, with Romania’s Mobra Films coproducing.
It is the same team that produced, alongside the Mexican coproducer Teorema, Mihaí’s debut feature La Civil, which won the Courage Prize in the Un Certain Regard competition at the Cannes Film Festival 2021.
“Heysel 85 is currently in advanced preparations, and the shooting is planned for the spring of 2025 in Belgium, with famed Romanian Marius Panduru as DoP. The shooting will take place in Anvers, Mons and Bruxelles, and it will take approximately 30 days”, producer Tudor Reu of Mobra Films told FNE.
Meanwhile, Mihai’s sophomore feature Traffic, which won Best Film at the Warsaw IFF 2024 and Best Actress (Anamaria Vartolomei) at the Tokyo IFF 2024, will have its Dutch premiere on 31 January 2025 in the RTM section of the International Film Festival Rotterdam, followed by its Belgian premiere at Ostende Film Festival on 5 February 2025. Written and coproduced by Cristian Mungiu, Traffic is the first film in Romanian by Anamaria Vartolomei, who left Romania as a child to become a sought-after actress in France.
Traffic is a Romanian/Belgian/Dutch coproduction produced by Mindset Productions and coproduced by Lunanime, Bastide Film and Les Films du Fleuve. SBS Films International is handling the sales. The film will be released in France and Romania (in September, by Forum Film).
Production Information:
Producers:
Menuetto Film (Belgium)
Les Films du Fleuve (Belgium)
Coproducers:
Mobra Films (Romania)
Credits:
Director: Teodora Ana Mihai
Scriptwriters: Lode Desmet, Isabelle Darras, Teodora Ana Mihai
DoP: Marius Panduru
Cast: Josse de Pauw, Matteo Simoni, Fabrizio Rongione, Violet Braeckman
