The beginnings of Akerman’s signature style are captured in these early experimental short films she made at the age of 17.

Famously inspired to become a filmmaker after seeing Jean-Luc Godard’s Pierrot le Fou in 1965 and expelled from high school soon after (thought to have been at least in part due to skipping class to watch movies), Chantal Akerman enrolled at arts institute INSAS in her hometown of Brussels. As part of her application, she began shooting on 8mm in both the Belgian capital and the town of Knokke over the course of the summer of 1967, capturing the bright lights of a funfair along with small, intimate moments on the street and in a boutique. In these films, Akerman introduces us to two of her most enduring relationships: her friend and future producer Marilyn Watelet and her beloved mother Natalia, both of whom appear onscreen.

2K Digitisation. Digitised by the Cinémathèque royale de Belgique (CINEMATEK).