Expotopia: The Belgian World’s Fairs

Synopsis

The Brussels World’s Fair of 1958 was an important moment in the postwar history of Belgium. It was also an important monument in honour of a modern utopian era which was to bring peace and reconciliation to mankind, with the help of new technologies. Belgium was well served when it came to world fairs in the twentieth century: as well as Expo 58, there were fairs in Brussels in 1935, in Antwerp and Liège in 1930, in Ghent in 1913 and again in Brussels in 1910. A mixture of futurism, exoticism and traditionalism defined these fairs. They fixed their respective epochs, including the dreams, obsessions and anxieties that came with them. As of 1910, these historical snap-shots were themselves fixed on film by a varied range of directors.

Language

French (Standard)

Country

Belgium

Year of release

2014

Notes

English subtitles

Subjects

Architecture; History

Keywords

amateur films; Belgium; Brussels; exhibitions; modern architecture; newsreel films

Distribution Formats

Type

DVD

Format

Region 0 PAL

Price

19 Euros

Availability

Sale

Year

2014

Distributor

Name

Cinematek

Web

http://www.cinematek.be/ External site opens in new window

Address

9 rue Baron Horta
1000 Bruxelles
Belgium