‘Ne Me Quitte Pas’ by Sabine Lubbe Bakker and Niels van Koevorden at Northside Festival, Brooklyn

Wed, Jun 18 - Wed, Jun 18  2014

On Wednesday June 18, ‘Ne Me Quitte Pas‘ by Dutch filmmakers Sabine Lubbe Bakker and Niels van Koevorden, will be screened at 9pm at UnionDocs during Northside Festival 2014 (June 12-19) in Brooklyn.

About ‘Ne me quitte pas’

Ne Me Quitte Pas is a tragicomic ode to failure. Set in a village on the edge of Belgium, Bob (Flemish) and Marcel (Walloon) share their solitude, sense of humor and carving for alcohol. They have agreed that suicide is the best way out if worse comes to worst. In that case, they have chosen the perfect spot to do so: under Bob’s tree of life.

Bob is a retired cowboy who loves his freedom and forest, while Marcel is trying to hold on to the family he is about to lose. Time passes slowly in the Wallonian countryside. Fortunately, there’s wood to be chopped, sticky flypaper to be hung and there are the occasional trips to the dentist. The remaining time is killed with drinking.

In direct cinema style we witness a Walloon carnival, a car accident and a failed attempt to find Bob’s son. Even Bob’s tree of life appears to have vanished. Despite all, the two men never indulge in selfpity. They stand strong together, until Marcel decides to stop drinking and Bob refuses to join him in rehab.

Film information:
Year: 2013
Length: 107 minutes
Language: Flemish, French
Country: Netherlands, Belgium 
Premiere: North American

About the directors

Filmmaker Sabine Lubbe Bakker was born and raised in Antwerp, Belgium, studying in The Netherlands and Brazil. Her credits include the award-winning documentary, Shout (2010), Power to the People (2012), and Hotel Europe (2013). Her last film, Ne Me Quitte Pas (with co-director Niels van Koevorden), is premiering at the IDFA this year. Niels van Koevorden spent his childhood in Belgium and studied at the Dutch Film Academy in Amsterdam. His senior film, Lukomir – Six Months Off (2010), was rewarded with the VPRO documentary award for best graduation documentary; his second short documentary, By Her Side, won several awards as well. Ne Me Quitte Pas (in co-direction with Sabine Lubbe Bakker), is his first feature-length film.

From left: Niels van Koevorden, Sabine Lubbe Bakker

About Northside Festival

The Northside Festival is New York City’s largest and most accessible discovery festival. From June 12-19, 2014, hundreds of bands, entrepreneurs, filmmakers, innovators, and over 80,000 fans will converge on Brooklyn over eight days to witness an incredible showcase of what’s next in music, film, entrepreneurship and art. 

For the fifth year in a row, Northside Film (June 16-19) is bringing you some of the best Brooklyn Premieres, documentaries, narratives and repertory picks at independent venues in North Brooklyn.