Julie Keeps Quiet

This standout first feature is the gripping story of Julie, a star player at an elite tennis academy in Belgium whose coach is suspended after allegations of abuse.

The players and staff are all encouraged to give evidence, while Julie decides to keep quiet. Her decision and struggle with the truth are reflected in the muted cinematography, and a haunting score plays out alongside the back and forth of the tennis court.

Leonardo Van Dijl expertly crafts his debut feature through silence and absence to portray Julie’s trauma and themes of abuse, guilt and shame, and Tessa Van den Broeck is stunning in her first lead role.