These films, from Belgian youth radio station StuBru, celebrate the return of the festival and party scene. We literally zoom in on unexpected encounters with random strangers. Such as a sloppy kiss where tongues awkwardly flail and wrestle one another, until we get up close and it becomes almost mesmerising to behold. Or a visit to dodgy urinals where drunk strangers bump into you. And the hair on your arms intertwine in a repulsive yet intimately satisfying way. These scenes are narrated by the poetic inner voice of the protagonists that would normally be disgusted by the strangers, but after this long deprivation of human contact, we actually see and hear them embrace this moment.
Cultural / Context information for the jury
The impact of the pandemic led to the Belgian population adopting new words to describe the effects of the virus on the country. Due to the deprivation of social and intimate interaction during that period of isolation the word ‘ huidhonger’ was introduced which translates as ’skin hunger’. All of us, and especially youngsters, began to crave intimacy, physical touch and the unexpected encounters, even with random strangers. We deliberately chose to highlight and portray the beauty of what we once saw as negative encounters. Knowing that many brands would focus solely on the positive sides to the ending of the lockdown.