‘THIERRY ZÉNO: STUDY DAY’

Last June, Thierry Zéno (real name Thierry Jonard, 1950-2017), passed away. He was one of Belgium’s most singular filmmakers, part of a heroic generation full of talented stars. He was the director of the Academy of Fine Arts of Sint-Jans Molenbeek for several years and co-founded and managed the Félicien Rops Fund in Namur, where he was born and raised. In his work, which focused on the themes of madness and death, he demonstrated a philosophical and artistic sensibility that added an undeniable subtlety and depth to the themes he broached. His delicate approach and intelligence were apparent in all of his works, even when they transgressed the most fundamental taboos. He primarily became famous thanks to films such as Vase de noces (1974) – a masterpiece in which asceticism transcends the representation of zoophilia and coprophagia – which caused quite a scandal in Cannes in 1975, and Des Morts (co-directed in 1979 with Dominique Garny and Jean-Paul Ferbus). The latter is an ethnographic documentary about funeral rites around the world. Yet his amazing filmography has not received the attention it deserves. That is why CINEMATAK has partnered with the Off Screen festival to host a near-complete retrospective of a body of work which deserves to be (re-)discovered.

10:00 > 12:30
Introduction by Muriel Andrin (ULB) and Xavier García Bardón (BOZAR, ERG)
Jeremi Szaniawski (ULB): Les tribulations de (Saint) Thierry: transcendance et matérialité dans l'œuvre de Thierry Zéno (The Trials and Tribulations of (Saint) Thierry: transcendence and materiality in Thierry Zéno’s works)
Lison Jousten (ULiège): La fange, la cloche et la serre – Réflexions à propos d’un fantôme – ou presque – en quête de continuité (The Mire, the Bell and the Hothouse: Reflections on a ghost (or near-ghost) in search of continuity)
Yvan Guypen (ingénieur du son): Thierry Zéno: malheurs et bonheurs d'un artiste indépendant
14:00 > 18:00
Guy Marc Hinant (filmmaker and founder of the label Sub Rosa): Documents Tzotziles : chant des morts et passation de pouvoirs (Tzotzil Documents: song of the dead and transferring power)
Sarah Pialeprat (Centre du Film sur l’Art) and Michel Renard (Fonds Félicien Rops) in conversation with Muriel Andrin: Approche de l'Art et du film sur l’Art  (How to Approach Art and Films about Art)
Screening: Bouche sans fond ouverte sur les horizons (Thierry Zéno, BE, 1971, colour, 30’)
Round-table: Au-delà du cinéma: Thierry Zéno et les installations (Beyond Cinema: Thierry Zéno and the installations) with Kim Leroy, Muriel Andrin, Jeremi Szaniawski en Xavier García Bardón.

Partners: Zeno Films & CINEMATEK