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Director Highlights the Importance of Listening in Award-winning Courtroom Drama We Believe You

July 11, 2025, 10:00

The Belgian courtroom drama We Believe You, awarded at the Berlinale’s Perspectives competition, deals with the sensitive topic of sexual violence against children and lengthy judicial proceedings.

“The film’s co-author, Charlotte Deville, knows this issue well – she is a nurse by profession and has met victims of sexual violence,” noted director Arnaud Dufeys. The film stands out for its authenticity, is extremely well researched and was inspired by a real case. “The case from the film still hasn’t been resolved, which is quite common, unfortunately. The problem is that in cases such as this one, three separate proceedings are going on in parallel: juvenile court proceedings, family proceedings and criminal proceedings, and these three processes do not talk to each other,” the director explained.

At first, they did not want to discuss the details of the sensitive topic with their child actors. “But then we realised that we were perpetuating the taboo surrounding sexual abuse. So when the actor playing the son asked us what his ‘dad’ did to him, we explained it to him in a simplified way using books and videos – and it helped him act it out better,” Dufeys recalled.

The attorneys were played by real lawyers, but the directors had to cast an actress for the role of the judge. “The judges have a tight schedule fixed for months in advance, so it was impossible to find one. But Natali Broods was excellent in her role, and it was convenient for us that she is Flemish. French is not her native language, so she really listens attentively,” said the director, adding the film is primarily about the importance of listening.

The main part of the film was shot in real time, over three days, using three cameras each time. “On the first day we did long segments, on the second we had the filming broken down into shorter scenes, and on the third we were finishing the details,” added Arnaud Dufeys, explaining the process.

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