After a five‑year hiatus, returned with a bang. Dozens of self‑taught filmmakers, photographers, performers and collectives—both familiar and new—filled a vital programme enjoyed by hundreds of visitors, just days before COVID measures closed public events.

The program reflected the tumult of 2020: hard lockdowns, Black Lives Matter protests and the public anger after the deaths of Adil Charrot and Mehdi Bouda. It deliberately centered womxn creators (often POC) and their leadership in making communities visible. A striking poster—shot by a female photographer and designed by a female graphic artist—echoed Ladj Ly’s iconic portrait and featured three well‑known local women from networks.

For the first time the jury was predominantly female, production was largely women‑led, and Bledarte provided the opening music. A short version of Sakina Ghani’s LGR, produced entirely by a team of racialised women, premiered to great acclaim. The festival also presented two installations on police violence (Profil.rouge & Our Boys Cry Too), an art‑philosophy workshop by Makan Fofana around Le Banlieue du Turfu, and a small international shorts selection.

2021 reasserted itself as a powerful celebration of resilience, community and emerging creative voices in Brussels.