Saturday, March 9, 6:00 p.m. | The “Belgian Wave” is the term for a series of UFO sightings in Belgium between 1989 and 1992. Thirty years later, two gumshoes, Enzo and Karen, set off on a psychedelic-fueled road trip to find the journalist Marc Varenberg, who mysteriously disappeared while investigating the extra-terrestrial phenomenon. On their journey, they encounter a gallery of characters (all of whom would be right at home in an episode of the The X-Files), each more peculiar than the last. Framed as a documentary and laced with found footage, broad comedy, and unreliable narrators at every turn, THE BELGIAN WAVE is a neon-soaked bender, and was—fittingly—the winner of the Audacity Award at the Oldenburg International Film Festival. Join us for a pre-screening reception from 5:00-6:00 p.m. featuring waffles by Madame Muriel and Belgian beer courtesy Wallonie Bruxelles International.

Awards & Nominations

Winner - German Independence Award - Originality, Daring, and Audacity, Oldenburg Film Festival

Chicago European Union Film Festival - Spotlight on Belgium: Join us this year as we dive into the best of Belgian cinema new and old. Presenting Chicago audiences with a potent cultural immersion and showcasing bright new native talents alongside a slice of repertory favorites. View full festival.

The Film Center thanks the consulates, consuls general, and cultural institutes of the European Union in Chicago and their embassies in Washington, D.C., for their support, partnership, and collaboration. Special thanks to Paul M. Van Halteren, president of EuroChicago and Honorary Consul of Belgium in Illinois, and our 2024 Belgium Spotlight partners:

European Union Center w/European Union Center at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign through support from the U.S. Department of Education’s Title VI NRC Program.

The Film Center is ADA accessible. This presentation will be projected without open captions. The theater is hearing-loop equipped. For accessibility requests, please email filmcenter@saic.edu