Ostende, reine des plages

© Ostende, reine des plages (Henri Storck, 1930)

Ostende, reine des plages

Belgian film pioneer Henri Storck, born and raised in Ostend, made more than one documentary about his hometown. In Ostende, reine des plages, contemporaries James Ensor and Maurice Jaubert provide the music—a film about the “special happiness of being an Ostendian.”

It shows the Belgian coastal city in all its glory: by day and by night, at parties and sports events.  It is a catalogue of the seaside town’s recreational opportunities, sensuously observed.

Also on the programme are films about James Ensor by Julien De Meester, Henri Chomette and Paul Haesaerts. This show was put together on the occasion of the Ensor Year and the publication of the book Henri Storck and the Ostend Painters.