Real Faces by Leni Huyge selected for Thessaloniki International Film Festival
Real Faces, the feature debut by Leni Huyghe, has been selected for the Thessaloniki International Film Festival(TIFF), taking place from October 30th to November 9th 2025 in Greece. The film will screen in the Open Horizons section. Following its world premiere earlier this year at South by Southwest (SXSW) in Austin, Texas, Real Faces continues its successful international festival journey. The film previously won an award at the Spanish Intersección Film Festival, where it received the Audience Award and a Special Mention from the Jury.
On the heels of a difficult break-up, casting agent Julia (29) is conflicted about her new job in Brussels – casting everyday people for a perfume campaign. As her relationship with flatmate Eliott (32) deepens, Julia’s sense of boundaries between the idealized images she populates, and the life she wants, becomes blurred.
"I want to celebrate the actors in the film, almost all of them living in Brussels another character in this film. The most thrilling aspect of a film is bringing characters to life by taking stuff from life. It's up to the audience to bring their ideas to it, it's not a film that gives answers, but I also hope the audience sees the work that has been done and that some injected thoughts linger with them." says Huyghe.
The film is directed by Leni Huyghe, who co-wrote the screenplay with Vincent Vanneste. The leading roles are played by Leonie Buysse and Gorges Ocloo. Cinematography is by Grimm Vandekerckhove, editing by Tom Denoyette, and production by Elisa Heene for Mirage, in co-production with Brussels-based Hélicotronc.
Filmmaker Leni Huyghe previously directed several award-winning short films that screened at international festivals such as Cinéfondation in Cannes, Visions du Réel, and Palm Springs. In 2015, she was selected for Berlinale Talents.
Beyond fiction, Huyghe also directed documentaries. Together with Maui Druez and Liesbeth De Ceulaer, she made I Waited Night & Day, a portrait of the impact of the Covid crisis in nursing homes, commissioned by Canvas. She also directed the second season of the popular youth web series HACKED.
Real Faces is a production by Elisa Heene for Mirage, in co-production with Hélicotronc and was made with the support of the Flanders Audiovisual Fund (VAF) of the Flemish Government, the Belgian Federal Government’s Tax Shelter via Casa Kafka, Centre du Cinéma et de l'Audiovisuel de la Fédération Wallonie Bruxelles, Creative Europe MEDIA, VOO & BeTV.
The Belgian distribution of Real Faces will be handled by Brightfish, while Alief represents the film for international sales.
Riema Reybrouck
