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THE BAREFOOT EMPEROR Belgium-Netherlands-Croatia-Bulgaria, 2019, 98′, color, feature

Nicolas III, King of the Belgians, suffers a gunshot wound to the ear during an unfortunate incident in Sarajevo. He wakes up in a sanatorium on a Croatian island that once was Tito’s renowned summer residence. The King’s entourage tries in vain to protect him from the news that the recent implosion of their kingdom has sparked the collapse of the European Union.

 

The fragile King demands to return home at once, but instead he is condemned to a strict regime of rest and rehabilitation by the authoritarian sanatorium director, Dr. Otto Kroll. A delegation from Vienna arrives headed by the distinguished Dr. Ilse von Stroheim, architect of a nationalist Nova Europa. She bears the thunderous news that the last King of the Belgians will become the first Emperor of Europe.The King, fed up with others determining his destiny, decides to take matters into his own hands.

Jessica Woodworth and Peter Brosens

Jessica Woodworth and Peter Brosens

Jessica Woodworth & Peter Brosens wrote, directed and produced five feature films together. Their films appeared in hundreds of festivals and won 57 awards. Jessica Woodworth is a Belgian-American director and screenwriter. She received degrees in literature from Princeton University and documentary filmmaking from Stanford University. Peter Brosens is a Belgian independent producer, director and writer. He was a jury member of various international film festivals, including IDFA, Sao Paulo and Zagreb.

SELECTED FILMOGRAPHY

2006 Khadak

2009 Altiplano

2012 The Fifth Season

2016 King of the Belgians

2019 The Barefoot Emperor

DIRECTOR
Jessica Woodworth and Peter Brosens
SCRIPT
Jessica Woodworth, Peter Brosens
CAMERA
Ton Peters
CAST
Peter Van den Begin, Lucie Debay, Udo Kier, Geraldine Chaplin, Bruno Georis, Titus De Voogdt
PRODUCERS
Jessica Woodworth, Peter Brosens; Co-producers - Frans van Gestel, Arnold Heslenfeld, Laurette Schillings, Marc-Henri Wajnberg, Boris T. Matic, Lana Matic, Mira Staleva, Stefan Kitanov
PRODUCTION
Bo Films, Topkapi Films, Propeler Film, Wajnbrosse Productions, Art Fest

THE BAREFOOT EMPEROR Belgium-Netherlands-Croatia-Bulgaria, 2019, 98′, color, feature

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