Through the ritual of saying sorry, a bold journey explores how apologies redefine history and what happens to us as witnesses to the act of atonement.
Connecting continents, voices and events that are seemingly unrelated, The Apologist asks how we live with the scars of shared violence. A Belgian actor works with a Belgian-Congolese collaborator to confront their country's colonial past, while a political commission wrestles with reconciliation. In El Salvador, a ritual honours those lost to a massacre. Unexpected voices cut through the noise, asking the questions we might not think to ask ourselves. We search for reparation in different ways: through theatre, political process, song, or the careful work of stitching memory so it is not lost. Brutal and gentle by turns, The Apologist traces the fragile spaces between memory, pain and reconciliation, asking what it means not only to seek forgiveness, but to receive it.
Content guidance: contains discussion of offensive colonial-era language.
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Competitions
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Topics
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Premiere statusWorld premiere
Film details
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Director(s)Kristof Bilsen
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Country(s)Belgium, Netherlands, France
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Year2026
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Duration82 mins
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Executive producer(s)Kristof Bilsen / Limerick Films
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Producer(s)Kristof Bilsen / Limerick Films, Sara Skrodzka / Warboys Films, Sara Skrodzka / Warboys Films, Rémi Grellety / Warboys Films, Nienke Korthof / Tangerine Tree, Benoît Roland / Wrong Men, Willem Baptist / Tangerine Tree
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CinematographyJoachim Philippe, Kristof Bilsen, Diren Agbaba
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EditingLuca Mattei, Aaron Minnebo
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SoundHugo Dijkstal, Xan Márquez Caneda
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Language(s)English, Dutch, French, Spanish
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Sales CompanyKristof Bilsen / Limerick Films
