In the pre-war era, jazz was at its peak in Belgium, and our orchestras were at the forefront of this musical movement in Europe. This unprecedented artistic creativity saw the birth of the biggest Belgian radio jazz orchestra under the direction of Stan Brenders, internationally recognised thanks to broadcasting, recordings from the time and the abundance of jazz clubs in Brussels. How did this music, a simple way of expressing modernity, dance and frivolity become a vehicle for propaganda under the occupation? Will this dramatic ambivalence overthrow our hero… or will the conductor’s baton turn on him ?

Runtime 52 min
Year of completion 2015
Language French
Subtitles Dutch

Production
Image Creation

Co-production
RTBF, Playtime Films, WIP – Wallonie Image Production, Proximus with the support of the National Lottery and the Wallonia-Brussels Federation Centre for the Cinematic and Audiovisual Arts