COUREUR

By Kenneth MERCKEN

CZAR FILM - as PROD

Drama - Completed 2018

‘Coureur’ follows the struggles, glory and dreams of a young 'flandrien' cyclist who will do whatever it takes to succeed, no matter the consequences for himself and those around him.

Festivals
& Awards

When East Meets West 2014
Emerging Talent Award
Gent IFF 2016
Flanders NeXT Perfect Pitch Award
Film Fest Gent 2018
Avant-Premiere
Rotterdam IFFR 2019
Voices
Goteborg IFF 2019
Nordic Premiere
Festival International Du Film De Mons 2019
    • Year of production
    • 2018
    • Genres
    • Drama, First film
    • Countries
    • BELGIUM, ITALY
    • Languages
    • DUTCH, ITALIAN
    • Budget
    • 1 - 3 M$
    • Duration
    • 96 mn
    • Director(s)
    • Kenneth MERCKEN
    • Writer(s)
    • Kenneth MERCKEN, Monica STAN
    • Producer(s)
    • Eurydice GYSEL (CZAR Film), Koen MORTIER (CZAR Film), Olivier RAUSIN (CLIMAX Films), Giovanni POMPILI (Kino Produzioni)
    • Synopsis
    • Felix Vereecke grows up as an insider at his father’s veteran league cycling races, an outlandish milieu with no shortage of alcohol, violence, and prohibited substances. He wants to become a pro no matter what, like his father Mathieu, who seeks to fulfil his own failed dreams of cycling glory. As an adult, Felix turns out to be incredibly gifted. When he becomes national junior champion, he follows his own path towards the promised land of youth cycling: Italy. The merciless competition and his feeble health, however, threaten to become his downfall.

      ‘Coureur’ is inspired by director Kenneth Mercken’s own turbulent past as a talented cyclist. Kenneth also grew up among the frames and the smell of leg cream. But it took a while before he really got serious about cycling. In 2000, he won the national championship for elite riders without a contract. Later, while on the payroll of an Italian team, he discovered that his body couldn’t cope with all the hardships of the sport and the sacrifices he had to make in order to reach his goal. He turned his back on his childhood dream and enrolled in film school. The script for 'Coureur' was selected for Binger Writers Lab, Script & Pitch TorinoFilmLab, the coproductionplatform of Les Arcs, and Kenneth Mercken received the Emerging Talent Award in 2014 at the When East Meets West. The project also won the Pitch Perfect Award at Flanders Next 2016.
    • Partners & financing
    • VAF (Flemish Audiovisual Fund), Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles, Screen Flanders, Canvas, RTBF, IDM Film Fund Alto Adige, BNPPB Film Finance.
    • Production schedule
    • Completed
    • Beginning of shooting
    • Apr 13, 2017
    • End of shooting
    • May 26, 2017