Spectres

Sven Augustijnen

video, color, 16:9, French spoken, BE, 2011, 104’

Fifty years after his assassination, Patrice Lumumba, Prime Minister of the newly independent Congo, is back to haunt Belgium. Through commemorations and encounters, the top-ranking Belgian civil servant who was in Elisabethville on that tragic day of 17 January 1961 attempts to exorcise the ghosts of the past. To the sound of St John Passion by J.S. Bach, Spectres immerses us into one of the darkest days of the decolonisation of the Belgian Congo. An examination of the biopolitical body, this feature-length film by Sven Augustijnen exposes the fine line separating legitimisation and historiography and the traumatic issue of responsibility and debt.

Spectres won the Public Libraries Prize and GNCR Prize and received a special mention from the jury of the International Competition at FID Marseille (FR). It won the Prize of the Flemish Community at Festival Filmer à Tout Prix (BE).

As part of Sven Augustijnen’s solo exhibition the book Spectres.

Concept and image Sven Augustijnen
Production assistent Fairuz Ghammam
Editing Mathieu Haessler and Sven Augustijnen
Sound recording Benoît Bruwier and Jeff Levillain
Sound mixing Benoît Bruwier
Music St Johns Passion, J.S. Bach (performed by La Petite Bande)
Produced by Auguste Orts, co-produced by Projections, Cobra Films and Jan Mot
With the support of the Flanders Audiovisual Fund, CERA Partners in Art, Mu.ZEE, Kunstenfestivaldesarts, Koninklijke Vlaamse Schouwburg, WIELS Contemporary Art Centre, Vlaams-Nederlands Huis deBuren, de Appel arts centre, Marres Centre for Contemporary Culture, Vlaamse Gemeenschapscommissie, Kunsthalle Bern, Kunst Halle Sankt Gallen, Kunstencentrum BUDA, FLACC Workplace for Visual Artists, Fonds Régional d’Art Contemporain – Région Bourgogne, Le Fresnoy studio national des arts contemporains

Spectres has been on display at:

Art Academy Malmö, (SE) Wednesday, Jan 24 2024 Artists' House Kaunas, (LT) Wednesday, Oct 19 2022 Centre Pompidou Paris, (FR) Friday, Apr 8 2022 Kunst Akademiet Copenhagen, (DK) Apr 4–Apr 5 2022 VRT NU Brussels, (BE) Dec 18 2020–Jun 19 2021 LUCA - Sint-Lucas Gent, (BE) Tuesday, Oct 27 2020 WIELS Brussels, (BE) Mar 31–Apr 5 2020 Cineteca Madrid, (ES) Thursday, Jan 30 2020 Sooner Brussels, (BE) Oct 1 2019–Nov 20 2020 Universciné Brussel, (BE) Apr 1–Oct 1 2019 Kinoteka Ljubljana, (SI) Friday, Mar 8 2019 National Art Gallery Vilnius, (LT) Friday, Nov 2 2018 International Film Festival Kaunas, (LT) Sep 25–Sep 29 2018 BAK Utrecht, (NL) Thursday, Jul 5 2018 Tënk Lussas, (FR) May 5 2018–May 3 2020 Tënk Lussas, (FR) Mar 9–May 4 2018 Bunkier Sztuki Contemporary Art Gallery Krakow, (PL) Tuesday, Nov 22 2016 Cinematek Brussel, (BE) Sunday, Nov 13 2016 Cinema ZUID Antwerpen, (BE) Thursday, Sep 29 2016 Museu Colecção Berardo Lissabon, (PT) Sep 21 2016–Jan 1 2017 Biennale Taipei, (TW) Sep 10 2016–Feb 5 2017 Irish Film Institute Dublin, (IE) Tuesday, Sep 6 2016 École des Arts Braine l'Alleud, (BE) Wednesday, Jan 20 2016 Cinema ZED Leuven, (BE) Monday, Oct 5 2015 Goldsmiths, University of London, (GB) Wednesday, Sep 30 2015 Salle du Polygone étoilé Marseille, (FR) Sunday, Sep 27 2015 Festival for Arts, Literature and Performance Colombo, (LK) Aug 21–Aug 30 2015 Innis Theatre, University of Toronto, (CA) Thursday, Aug 20 2015 Extra City Antwerpen, (BE) Thursday, Jun 18 2015 Kunsthaus Zurich, (CH) Friday, Jun 12 2015 Lo schermo dell'arte Film Festival Milano, (IT) Thursday, May 14 2015 Kunsthall Trondheim, (NO) Wednesday, Mar 25 2015 CAPC musée d'art contemporain Bordeaux, (FR) Wednesday, Mar 4 2015 The Power Plant Toronto, (CA) Jan 23–May 17 2015 Museo Reina Sofia Madrid, (ES) Thursday, Nov 20 2014 Belvue Brussel, (BE) Thursday, Nov 13 2014 CCS Bard & Hessel Museum Annandale-on-Hudson, (US) Nov 6–Dec 21 2014 CPH:DOX Copenhagen, (DK) Nov 6–Nov 16 2014 Festival International du Film de La Roche sur Yon, (FR) Saturday, Oct 18 2014 Musée National de Lubumbashi Lubumbashi, (CD) Friday, Sep 19 2014 Red Hall Pristina, (RS) Friday, Sep 5 2014 Museum M Leuven, (BE) Thursday, Aug 21 2014 Film Museum Dusseldorf, (DE) Tuesday, Jul 8 2014 21er Haus Vienna, (AT) Thursday, Jul 3 2014 Iselp Brussel, (BE) Saturday, Jun 28 2014 Surgeon's Hall Museum Edinburgh, (GB) Saturday, Jun 21 2014 Camera Austria Graz, (AT) Jun 5–Sep 7 2014 Wits University Johannesburg, (ZA) Wednesday, May 14 2014 Staedelschule Frankfurt am Main, (DE) Tuesday, May 13 2014 Iselp Brussel, (BE) Wednesday, May 7 2014 Meeting Points 7 at Art Center Beirut, (LB) Monday, Apr 14 2014 Salle Marcel Guého Theix, (FR) Saturday, Apr 12 2014 Raisons d'Agir Poitiers, (FR) Friday, Apr 11 2014 Wexner Art Center Columbus, (US) Friday, Apr 4 2014 Siskel Film Center Chicago, (US) Thursday, Apr 3 2014 Spring Workshop Hong Kong, (HK) Saturday, Mar 29 2014 AV festival Newcastle upon Tyne, (GB) Saturday, Mar 8 2014 College of Communication London, (GB) Tuesday, Feb 25 2014 Rivington Place London, (GB) Monday, Feb 24 2014 Vdrome Milano, (IT) Sunday, Feb 16 2014 Picha Art Center Lubumbashi, (CD) Friday, Jan 17 2014 Sint-Lucas Antwerpen, (BE) Wednesday, Dec 18 2013 Cinema Opera Lyon, (FR) Wednesday, Nov 6 2013 Musée National Lubumbashi, (CD) Oct 4–Oct 6 2013 Centre d'Art Contemporain Geneva, (CH) Jul 23–Sep 8 2013 98weeks, Beirut Cairo, (EG) Friday, Jun 14 2013 Collective’s gallery Edinburgh, (GB) Jun 13–Jun 14 2013 tranzitdisplay Prague, (CZ) Jun 7–Jun 9 2013 Foundation for Contemporary Art Accra, (GH) May 24–May 25 2013 Lux Valence, (FR) May 15–May 21 2013 VOX Montreal, (CA) May 11–Jul 6 2013 Cinema Saint-Michel Paris, (FR) Friday, May 10 2013 Le Lux Caen, (FR) May 8–May 14 2013 Cinema Saint-Michel Paris, (FR) Tuesday, Apr 30 2013 Institut de l'Image Aix-en-Provence, (FR) Friday, Apr 26 2013 Cinéma Orson Welles Amiens, (FR) Apr 17–Apr 23 2013 Cinématographe Nantes, (FR) Apr 17–Apr 23 2013 Festival Nuovo Cinema Europa Genova, (IT) Apr 15–Apr 19 2013 St. Paul International Film Festival Minneapolis, (US) Apr 11–Apr 28 2013 Le Cratère Toulouse, (FR) Thursday, Apr 11 2013 Le Cratère Toulouse, (FR) Apr 10–Apr 23 2013 L'Ariel Mont Saint- Aignan, (FR) Apr 10–Apr 16 2013 Arnolfini Bristol, (GB) Thursday, Apr 4 2013 Cooper Union New York, (US) Wednesday, Apr 3 2013 Cinema Saint-Michel Paris, (FR) Wednesday, Apr 3 2013 Cinema Saint Michel Paris, (FR) Mar 20–Mar 26 2013 Athena Houtland Oostende, (BE) Thursday, Mar 14 2013 MK2 Beaubourg Paris, (FR) Thursday, Mar 14 2013 Museum San Telmo Donostia - San Sebastian, (ES) Wednesday, Mar 13 2013 Cinématographe Nantes, (FR) Monday, Mar 11 2013 Vdrome Milano, (IT) Feb 16–Feb 26 2013 Konsthall Malmö, (SE) Feb 15–Apr 7 2013 Macba Barcelona, (ES) Friday, Feb 15 2013 RITS Brussel, (BE) Thursday, Jan 17 2013 NIAS Wassenaar, (NL) Thursday, Nov 29 2012 Beursschouwburg Brussel, (BE) Tuesday, Nov 20 2012 ERG Brussel, (BE) Tuesday, Nov 20 2012 Fonds municipal d'art contemporain Genève, (CH) Thursday, Nov 8 2012 Le Cratère Toulouse, (FR) Thursday, Nov 8 2012 Norske Kunsthåndverkeres Bergen, (NO) Oct 7–Oct 28 2012 Yale Art Gallery Yale, (US) Tuesday, Oct 2 2012 Artists Space New York, (US) Thursday, Sep 27 2012 Center for Curatorial Studies at Bard College New York, (US) Tuesday, Sep 25 2012 Filmfestival Oostende, (BE) Sunday, Sep 9 2012 Rwanda Film Festival Kigali, (RW) Jul 14–Jul 27 2012 DocAlliance Marseille, (FR) Jul 2–Jul 8 2012 KASK cinema Gent, (BE) Sunday, Jun 17 2012 Canvas Brussel, (BE) Sunday, May 13 2012 Documenta Madrid, (ES) Sunday, May 6 2012 Docville Leuven, (BE) Tuesday, May 1 2012 IndieLisboa Lisboa, (PT) Apr 26–May 5 2012 Festival International du Film Policier Liège, (BE) Friday, Apr 20 2012 VUB Brussel, (BE) Thursday, Apr 19 2012 University of Gorizia, (IT) Wednesday, Mar 28 2012 Festival des Ecrans du Réel Beyrouth, (LB) Mar 26–Apr 1 2012 Kask - School of Arts Gent, (BE) Thursday, Mar 22 2012 Marres & Jan Van Eyck Maastricht, (NL) Wednesday, Mar 14 2012 Vidéo Les Beaux Jours Strasbourg, (FR) Saturday, Feb 18 2012 Travelling Rennes, (FR) Friday, Feb 10 2012 Espace Delvaux Watermaal-Bosvoorde, (BE) Tuesday, Dec 6 2011 Tate Modern London, (GB) Tuesday, Nov 22 2011 Le 102 Grenoble, (FR) Tuesday, Nov 22 2011 Studio Skoop Gent, (BE) Saturday, Nov 19 2011 Transat Vidéo Caen, (FR) Saturday, Nov 19 2011 Studio Skoop Gent, (BE) Tuesday, Nov 15 2011 Filmer à Tout Prix (Flagey) Brussel, (BE) Sunday, Nov 13 2011 RIDM Montreal, (CA) Nov 9–Nov 20 2011 Documentaire sur Grand Ecran Paris, (FR) Sunday, Nov 6 2011 Vrijstaat O Oostende, (BE) Friday, Oct 28 2011 STUK Leuven, (BE) Wednesday, Oct 26 2011 Cinema Zuid Antwerpen, (BE) Wednesday, Oct 26 2011 International Documentary Film Festival Jihlava, (CZ) Oct 25–Oct 30 2011 Viennale Vienna, (AT) Oct 25–Oct 27 2011 STUK Leuven, (BE) Monday, Oct 24 2011 Galerie Villa des Tourelles Nanterre, (FR) Saturday, Oct 22 2011 Ciné 104 Pantin, (FR) Thursday, Oct 20 2011 Videofid Marseille, (FR) Tuesday, Oct 18 2011 Centre Pompidou Paris, (FR) Monday, Oct 17 2011 de Appel Amsterdam, (NL) Oct 14 2011–Mar 4 2012 Festival International du Film de La Roche sur Yon, (FR) Oct 13–Oct 18 2011 Kunsthalle Bern, (CH) Oct 8–Nov 27 2011 OCA Oslo, (NO) Wednesday, Sep 21 2011 Buda Kortrijk, (BE) Thursday, Sep 8 2011 États Généraux du Documentaire Lussas, (FR) Thursday, Aug 25 2011 Kinok Sankt-Gallen, (CH) Wednesday, Aug 17 2011 Kunst Halle Sankt Gallen, (CH) Aug 12–Oct 9 2011 Arenberg Brussel, (BE) Friday, Jul 15 2011 FID Marseille, (FR) Jul 8–Jul 9 2011 Wiels Brussel, (BE) Saturday, May 21 2011 Wiels Brussel, (BE) May 8–Jul 31 2011 KVS, Kunstenfestivaldesarts Brussels, (BE) Sunday, May 8 2011 KVS, Kunstenfestivaldesarts Brussels, (BE) Saturday, May 7 2011