Isabel de la Serna

Le souffle court

In March 2020, a Brussels collective of directors began discussions on Skype with eight front-line caregivers, mobilized in the face of the Covid pandemic. As the months go by, speech becomes freer. Weakened, these workers share their commitment, their suffering, their fight. The more the wear and tear is felt, the more the film highlights a failing care system.

The virgin and child

Young Yazidi Kurd immigrant Avesta is seven months pregnant. Freshly escaped from the hellish underworld of ISIS, she has just one thought in mind: getting revenge on the man who forced her into slavery. When she arrives in Brussels, she locates and attacks members of his family in order to force him out of his ISIS-linked hiding and bring him before the courts. At the same time, Avesta finds sanctuary at a refugee centre in Brussels. Despite her post-traumatic mutism, she meets Yassemine, an interpreter of Kurdish origin who offers her support and tries to get her to talk. Yassemine helps Avesta take her first steps in Belgium and brings her to see Babette, a nurse in the city centre. The exam shows that her unborn baby is doing well, but horrible scars are revealed on Avesta's body.

Life, Assembled

50 years after the realization of their utopias, three old architects take the director on a journey to discover extraordinary housing. A joyful journey through time, from which emerges a crucial question: how will we live tomorrow?

A New Perspective

Early one morning, in an unspecified and seemingly far off time, a 12 year old boy, together with some friends, is searching a thick forest for objects of value. There is a lot of fog. The boy goes off by himself to another part of the wood and stands admiring an antique object he has found at the foot of a tree. His happy expression turns to one of curiosity as he is distracted by some high pitched cries which come and go intermittently.

Detours

Simon (Yannick Renier) has to bring his baby back to his ex-wife (Daphne Wellens), who threatens to withdraw custody if he's late again. In the rush, Simon smashes the mirror of a parked car. He decides to flee. As his baby is trying to fall asleep in the morning traffic, Simon notices he's being followed...

Un divan sur la colline

In Battir, bastion of the "green resistance" in the West Bank, Ala', Ibrahim and Bara'a are all under 20. The documentary follows their entry into adulthood and their vision of their country. While parents are banking on the new jobs that could be created by local tourism, most young people dream of nothing more than leaving.