Inside Mali's head, everything is dancing. She's a bgirl, 'breaking' her way from battle to battle. But she's looking for more. Only 14, she has moved to the big city, to live with her older sister. She lives close to her new school now, where dance is a major. But can this bgirl handle all the other dance styles? And will her body cope with the physical strain? The tough bgirl is also an insecure teenager, seeking to express her individuality, through dance.
The film found the right tone, both adressing younger people at eye level but also interesting for an older audience giving an inside view in the inner struggles of a teenager. - DOK Leipzig
Charlotte started her professional career at VRT Culture (public television), where she made documentary portraits for visual artists, musicians, dancers, designers... Dance is and remains a common thread in her work as a filmmaker. In the documentary 'Dear Angels', dance sequences were used to portray the emotions of the main character. In addition, she also shot video clips for music artists such as Jaouad Alloul with dancers in the lead. Charlotte lives in Brussels, where she has been following the hip-hop scene closely for years. For six years, she was the house photographer of Zinnema, an open talent house in Anderlecht that embraces and structurally supports the Brussels dance community.
Mali is at a turning point in her life, as a dancer and as a person. As a bgirl, she is on the eve of her breakthrough. As a person, Mali has just tumbled into puberty. The film shows Mali's quest to connect with her inner life through dance. The magical feeling of 'transcendence', where your body takes over from your mind and you let go of everything for a while, I hope to be able to capture in the film. I think that energy can be very inspiring for young viewers, especially in times when children are less and less active. I would love that this film encourages children to get out and about and (re)discover the connection between mind and body.
directed by Charlotte De Cort
dop - Jordan Van Schel
editor - Jasper Flikshuh
music - Mauro Pawlowski
sound design - Jamie MacLean
JEF Youth Film festival, Antwerp (B)
Docville IDFF, Leuven (B)
Brussels Short Film Festival (B)
Dok Leipzig (D)
Chicago Int. Children’s Film Festival (USA)
IDFA School Program (NL)
Les Rencontres Cinesonne (F)
Dokkino (FI)
Fipadoc (F): Doc4Teens Programme
BUFF Malmö (S)
Cinequest (USA)
Regard Festival Quebec (CAN)
FIFA - Festival Int. du Film sur l'Art (CAN)
Cactus Int. Children's and Youth FF (IT), 11+ School Jury Award
Krakov Film Festival (PL)
Young Film Fest (CZ)
Flying Film Festival (CH)
FI du film d'éducation (FR)
ECCE! Open air Screenings (B)
Let's Doc (PL)
FIFF Namen, school Program (B)
Duration: 15'
Bgirl Badli is part of the Ket&Doc collection
Supported by Flanders Audiovisual Fund (VAF)
In-coproduction with Ketnet
With the support of the Tax Shelter System of the Belgian Federal Government
Language: Dutch, French
Subtitles: English, Dutch