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22ND OF MAY

By Koen MORTIER

CZAR FILM - as PROD

Drama - Completed 2009

22nd of May depicts the various victims of a suicide bombing. Sam, a rather ordinary-looking 40-year-old, works as a security guard at a shopping mall. His life is plunged into turmoil the day a young man carrying a backpack blows himself up there.

- Year of production
- 2009
- Genres
- Drama
- Countries
- BELGIUM, GERMANY, NETHERLANDS
- Languages
- DUTCH
- Budget
- 1 - 3 M$
- Duration
- 90 mn
- Director(s)
- Koen MORTIER
- Writer(s)
- Koen MORTIER
- Cast
- Sam LOUWYCK, Titus DE VOOGDT, Steffi PEETERS, Gunter LAMOOT, Wim WILLAERT, Jan HAMMENECKER, Norman BAERT
- ISAN
- 0000-0002-EFCC-0000-U-0000-0000-L
- EIDR
- 10.5240/13A3-4E79-4CD6-23FC-04F3-6
- Producer(s)
- Eurydice GYSEL (CCCP), Koen MORTIER (CCCP), Eric VAN ZUYLEN (Ryva), Marc BARY (Ijswater Films), Raymond VAN DER KAAIJ (Revolver), Michael REUTER (The Post Republic)
- Synopsis
- The film covers two hours in the life of Sam, a colourless, dull man of about 40. Sam is divorced; he works as a security agent in a shopping mall. His job is boredom incarnate. He basically just hangs around all day. His physique (he is tall and bulky) and uniform give him enough of an attitude to avoid any serious trouble.
  
  One day, Sam wakes up, gets ready in a hurry, grabs some food, and jumps on the bus to work in the mall. It's a quiet, ordinary day. Passengers get in and out. On a certain moment Sam is passed by a young man carrying a backpack. There is nothing special about the man; he is just another face in the crowd. As he enters the mall, Sam, having no clue of what is about to happen, eyes him absent-mindedly. Then, all of a sudden, the young man explodes, destroying much of the surroundings. In no time, the building is on fire, people are wounded and dying. Sam, who has fallen on his back, has trouble getting up. Numb and bewildered, he wobbles around the scene of the explosion.
  
  While everything around him is burning, Sam tries his best to help. He drags a woman outside against her will. She is screaming, struggling to get back inside to save her child. But Sam is already back on the scene, trying to rescue other victims, all of them just as helpless as he is. They are strewn over the floor, covered in blood, their clothes shredded to pieces, feeling utterly lost. As their cries turn into screams, Sam is overpowered by fear and panic. First there was the shock, then the realization of what happened.
  
  Without thinking, he starts to run, turning his back to the apocalyptic scene. He flees, running along the streets of a city that once felt as familiar as a friend, but now seems more like a dark monster.
  
  Sam's escape is a search for the truth behind the bombing and meanwhile he keeps running into victims of the attack. Each time, he is catapulted to the fatal moment. In his search for truth, Sam finds the young man with the backpack. As they talk, the young man accuses Sam of having taken part in mass murder: if not, why didn't he do anything to stop the bomber? Eventually, the young man goes even further, accusing Sam of being the sole responsible for the attack. Finally, we see Sam. He is, indeed, himself a victim of the bombing.
- Partners & financing
- Ijswater Film (the Netherlands)
  Ryva (Belgium)
  Revolver (The Netherlands)
  The Post Republic (Germany)
  
  Supported by VAF (Flanders Audiovisual Fund), CCA (Centre du Cinéma et de l’Audiovisuel de la Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles), NFF (Netherlands Film Fund), Rotterdam Mediafund, Digital Freedom Fund, RFF, KFD, Cinéart, Canvas & Belgian Tax Shelter.
- Production schedule
- Shooting October - November 2009
- Beginning of shooting
- Oct 01, 2009