LEOPOLD’S SACRED HEART — a film by Philippe Van Der Loo

20 min • Documentary • Short • Belgium • French, Dutch, English • 2024 — Post production phase

———

Logline:
An journey through one of the world’s largest churches, built by a megalomaniac king, where over the course of one day its many diverse and contradictory inhabitants are revealed.

Synopsis:
The National Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Brussels, Belgium, is home to a number of opposing and unexpected residents. During the course of one day we move through the church, from the deepest crypt to the neon-lit cross at the top. We gradually discover its many different residents. From a chapel with eternal worship, a concierge who lives underneath the church, a caving club, a radio station to a restaurant with cabaret, magic and drag shows.

Director’s statement:
In my view, the Basilica represents the very city it’s in: Brussels. It’s like a microcosm of the city. Full of surprises and strange contrasts. The fact that it started out as a megalomaniac project from a King with delusions of grandeur, and ended up as a church with cabaret shows in it’s basement, is to me Brussels pur sang.

At the time of the start of construction, in the early 20th century, the Catholic Church was still very present and powerful in Belgium. Because construction took so long (two World Wars) by the time it was finished in the 70’s, the secularization was already in full swing. A brand new, enormous Basilica, in a country that was having fewer and fewer believers.

The Basilica is also strongly connected to the Democratic Republic of Congo. In the beginning, construction was financed by profits from the horrorific exploitation of the Congo Free State. Which was King Leopold’s private property. Today, most churchgoers are from Congolese descent.

On the contrary to many other churches, the National Basilica of the Sacred Heart is a living and breathing place with a unique and authentic character.

Vimeo Instagram Imdb Info-circle