Ostrov Profile

Founded in 2004 by filmmaker Xavier Christiaens and Sandrine Blaise, Ostrov is an independent association dedicated exclusively to producing its own films. Working with micro-budgets and a radical spirit of creative freedom, Ostrov explores the shifting boundaries between fiction, documentary and experimental cinema, forging its own path beyond dominant practices.

[ Documenting the future ]

You must create reality quicker than it creates you

Ostrov’s approach is to look at past History as something unachieved and partly forgotten, full of gaps and silences — a space to be revisited and reimagined as we document and shape the future we are creating today.

Developing a distinctive personal aesthetic, Ostrov explores ways of questioning the world we live in, in the light of its past and its possible futures. Ostrov makes sensitive, quietly resistant films that take their time, remain open to uncertainty, and are never afraid to lose their way in the search for something.

Filmography

Documentary | 55 Min. | 2003 | Black & White | BetaDigit | Production Atouda | Coproduction Wallonie Image Production | © Ostrov

World Premiere: Visions du Réel, Nyon (Switzerland)
Prizes: Prize Scam ( Belgian society of filmmakers ) for the best audiovisual documentary 2004 (Belgium), Cineform award Film Festival Seoul SENEF (South-Corea), Diplom Of Honour Cracow Film Festival (Poland), Special mention 'Filmer à tout prix', Brussels (Belgium)

Experimental documentary | 52 Min. | 2006 | Black & White and colors | BetaDigit | Production Ostrov | Coproduction Wallonie Image Production | Supported by ‘Brouillon d’un rêve’

World Premiere: Visions du Réel, Nyon (Switzerland)
Prizes: Prize Scam ( Belgian society of filmmakers ) 'Filmer à tout prix', Brussels (Belgium), Silver Apricot Yerevan International Film Festival (Armenia ), Special mention Visions du Réel, Nyon (Switzerland), Special mention Jeonju International Film Festival (South Korea)

Medium-length fiction film | 54 Min. | 2014 | Black & White and colors | Production Ostrov | Coproduction Wallonie Image Production | Supported by ‘Brouillon d’un rêve’ and the Film and Audiovisual Centre of Wallonia-Brussels Federation

World Premiere: Festival Internazionale del Film Di Roma

Elsewhere

Cinergie.be – Interview with Xavier Christiaens about Beyond Icebergland (Au-delà des icebergs).
Watch the interview on YouTube →

Derives.tv – A tribute to Xavier Christiaens, celebrating his films, his work as a teacher at Lussas, and his writings.
Visit Derives.tv →

Tënk – The White She-Camel (La Chamelle blanche) is available to watch on Tënk.
Watch on Tënk →