PRESS KIT Brussels, September 2019 The 2019 Brussels Comic Strip Festival

Brussels is holding its 10th annual Comic Strip Festival from 13 to 15 September 2019

From their beginning at the turn of the previous century, Belgian comics have really become famous the world over. Many illustrators and writers from our country and its capital are well- known beyond our borders. That is reason enough to dedicate a weekend to this rich cultural heritage.

Since its debut in 2010, the Brussels Comic Strip Festival has become the main event for comics fans. Young and old, novices and experts, all share a passion for the ninth art and come together each year to participate in the variety of activities on offer.

More than 100,000 people and some 300 famous authors gather every year. For this 2019 edition, the essential events are definitely on the schedule: autograph sessions, the Balloon's Day Parade and many more. There's a whole range of activities to delight everyone.

Besides the Parc de Bruxelles, le Brussels Comic Strip Festival takes over the prestigious setting of Brussels' Palais des Beaux-Arts, BOZAR. Two places that pair phenomenally well together for the Brussels Comic Strip Festival. Festival-goers will be able to stroll along as they please, enjoying countless activities and novelties on offer wherever they go. From hundreds of autograph signings to premiere cartoon screenings and multiple exhibitions and encounters with professionals, ninth art fans will have plenty to keep them entertained.

Finally, the Brussels Comic Strip Festival will award comics prizes: The Atomium Prizes, during a gala evening when no less than €90,000 will be awarded for the best new works from the past year.

Over these three days, the capital will eat, sleep, and breathe comics. Free guided tours will bring visitors to see comics murals, many organizations from the Brussels-Capital Region will offer activities related to the Ninth Art. In short, from 13-15 September 2019, comics will be on the menu just about everywhere!

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Although Belgium is particularly proud of its comic strip heritage, many other countries also have a fantastic track record in this field. Of these, several cultural delegations from other countries will be setting up their stalls in the International Pavilion to introduce their work and enjoy a great opportunity to share their passion. Languages will be well represented: in addition to the three national languages, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian abd even Korean will be heard.

The Brussels Comic Strip Festival is a Brussels-Capital Region initiative with the support of the City of Brussels and the COCOF, coordinated by visit.brussels.

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Table of Contents

A WHOLE BUNCH OF NEW THINGS ...... 4

THIRD EDITION OF THE ATOMIUM PRIZES ...... 5

EXHIBITIONS ...... 8

PUBLISHER SPACES ...... 11

INTERNATIONAL PAVILION ...... 15

CONFERENCES, SHOWS AND ANIMATIONS ...... 19

BALLOON’S DAY PARADE ...... 23

PRESS INFORMATION ...... 24

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A whole bunch of new things For its 10th running, the Brussels Comic Strip Festival is marking the occasion with its fair share of new things. Aside from the regular giant balloon parade, the Comics Festival offers lovers of the genre talks, screenings, signings and other activities suitable for all.

One new Atomium prize This year The Vandersteen award for Dutch Comics (Sabam for Culture & Stripgids) will be rewarded for the first time during the Brussels Comic Strip Festival. The prize of 5,000 euro will be awarded to a Flemish author of comic strips for his or her career.

Catherine Meurisse, patron of the Atomium Prizes The patron for the 2019 Prix Atomium is none other than Catherine Meurisse, a cartoonist at Charlie Hebdo for more than ten years and the author, most notably, of the graphic novels “La Légèreté” and “Les Grands Espaces”, published by Dargaud in 2015 and 2018, respectively. She will honour the Brussels Comic Festival with her presence during the Prix Atomium award ceremony at BOZAR.

The festival will be open from 10am on Friday 13 September.

Schools can expect a very colourful programme. From an introduction to the plot, to a workshop on anti-racism with Lilian Thuram, via an unearthing of World War Two history with the writer of the “Children of the Resistance” series - many unusual activities await them.

Schools will be able to take part in several new activities without signing up in advance, as :

• The little comic strip explorer booklet: Through following different paths that are both fun and topical, the children will embark on a discovery of the Comic Strip Festival’s marquees.

• “The Children of the Resistance” exhibition: It’s spring 1944, and an allied pilot is lost in occupied Belgium... Put yourselves in the shoes of a child of the resistance to be able to help him get back to England so he can get back to fighting!

The Comic Strip Festival and Lombard publishing offer an exhibition based on the series “The Children of the Resistance” of Benoît Ers and Vincent Dugomier. Full of fun and specially adapted for a young audience (8-12 years), the exhibition explains, in an educational way, the main themes behind World War Two and the Resistance in France and Belgium. A treasure hunt gives the children a chance to step into the shoes of a member of the resistance: throughout the exhibition, they must solve clues to help the allied pilot get back to England.

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Third edition of the Atomium prizes

Comic strips are an art that has fallen from favour in recent years. It has often proved difficult for professional comic strip artists to make a living from their work. visit.brussels, in close collaboration with its partners, highlights the city's support for creativity and brings together existing initiatives in awarding mainly cash prizes that will help the winners to finance their work.

In 2017, as part of its 8th edition, the Comics Festival presented the Atomium Comic Strip Prize for the first time. This year, for its tenth edition, the Comics Festival will give out 8 prizes, for a total amount of 90,000 euros.

The sponsor of the third awards ceremony will be the cartoonist Catherine Meurisse.

The Raymond Leblanc Award for young talent

Prize: €20,000, in the form of cash and a publishing contract with Editions Futuropolis.

Purpose: a comic strip competition open to young authors who have yet to publish more than two comic books.

The Raymond Leblanc Award was founded twelve years ago by the Raymond Leblanc Foundation, which aims to publicise, pool and preserve the cultural legacy created by Raymond Leblanc, the founder of Tintin magazine, the publishing house Éditions du Lombard, the advertising agency Publiart and the cartoon studios Belvision, among other ventures.

Thanks to the support of the French Community Commission (COCOF), the 2019 winner will receive €10,000, to be presented by Minister President Rudi Vervoort, in the board of the French Brussels Community Commission in charge of culture, and will also be offered an additional €10,000 publishing contract with Futuropolis, paid in advance and covering all types of royalties.

For more information: http://www.raymondleblanc.be

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The Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles Bande Dessinée Award

Prize: €10,000

Purpose: This prize rewards an author or authors from the Wallonia-Brussels Federation who have developed an original and innovative creation. The prize is awarded based on the proposition of the Commission d'Aide à la Bande Dessinée, a cultural panel composed of professionals from the industry.

The winner(s) is (are) selected from the applications that were submitted following the regular calls for bids from the Service Général des Lettres et du Livre (General Service for Literature and Books), part of the Administration Générale de la Culture (General Administration for Culture).

Information: www.bandedessinee.cfwb.be

The Atomium of Bruxelles Award

Prize: €7,500 in cash

Purpose: Created in 2018, the Brussels Prize with the support of BX1 recognises an author or work that showcases Brussels.

For more information: www.visit.brussels

The PREM1ÈRE Roman Graphique Award

Prize: €20,000 in advertising space and extensive media coverage

Purpose: Offered by RTBF (the public broadcasting organisation of the French Community of Belgium), this award recognises the work of graphic novel writers. A list of finalists is drawn up by a group of RTBF journalists specialized in comic strips, with a jury made up of listeners, booksellers and RTBF personalities then choosing the winner.

For more information: www.lapremiere.be

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The Cognito Award for historical comics

Prize: €3,000 in cash

Purpose: presented by the Cognito Foundation, this award is made to the best historical comic strip of the year. A private concern, the Cognito Foundation seeks to introduce or reintroduce people to history through comic strips, and gives this award to authors who, through their work, shed light on a part of the past.

For more information: www.cognito-fondation.be

The LE SOIR Award for report comics

Prize: €20,000 in advertising space and extensive media coverage

Purpose: Belgian daily Le Soir has long been one of the leading newspaper when it comes to comic strips. This award recognises the work that best reflects the world around us and which takes the form of a report in the style of a comic strip.

For more information: www.lesoir.be

The Atomium Citizen Comics Prize (new)

Prize: €5,000 in cash

Aim: To reward comic drawings that call for an ethical and social reflection and that take on a positive, constructive and generous approach to current social issues.

Partner: Le Cœur à lire

The Vandersteen Prize (new)

Prize: €5,000

Aim: The Willy Vandersteen Prize is awarded to the best Dutch-language album of the past year. This is an initiative of Stripgids and the Sabam Authors Association. The winner will receive €5,000, donated by Sabam for Culture, and an illustration signed by the previous winner, Wilbert Van der Steen.

Partners: an initiative from Sabam for Culture & Stripgids

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Exhibitions The result of a collaboration between Lombard Publishing, visit.brussels and the BELvue museum, the Children of the Resistance exhibition plunges visitors into the world of the comic book, so they learn, in a fun way, about the challenging times of the resistance.

The series In a small French village that’s occupied by the German army, three children refuse to be defeated by the enemy. But how can they resist such a powerful enemy when they're only 13 years old?

The authors: VINCENT DUGOMIER, script writer BENOÎT ERS, artist

The key to its success: A fascinating period, believable characters, meticulous documentation and an immersive narrative.

The Children of the Resistance has become a point of reference, an educational tool that’s won awards (Prix Cognito- Best historic album- Brussels 2015 / Prix des collégiens- Angoulême international Festival of the comic strip, etc...)

Always attracting new readers: The series has already sold nearly 400,000 copies. Each year, sales of the new album are doubled. To date, no fewer than 3,000 albums are sold every week. In under five years, sales of the series have grown 10 times!

5 albums have been published, and the 6th book, “Désobéir” will be published in January 2020.

The comic strip is on display at the BELvue museum in Brussels until 6 October.

The exhibition’s Commissioner, Manon Aknin, presents the exhibition:

“The exhibition is in three languages: French, Dutch and English.

It was important for us to include a “Belgian” component. The comic book is set in France, but the idea was also to talk about what happened in Belgium.

We also wanted to add an educational angle: through playing a game, children learn more about the resistance: they discover how members of the resistance helped allied pilots get back to England, about using rationing coupons and creating false papers, etc. 8

The scenes across three rooms have been designed with this in mind:

 The first room presents the background to the war: children can walk over a map of Europe, just like the comic strip characters on the front cover. The suitcases arranged below a panel talking about the population exodus not only link to this, but are also part of the game.  The second room is designed like a typical hideout of resistance members, showing the kinds of tools often used by them: a typewriter, paint for writing slogans, leaflets, a fake version of the newspaper Le Soir, creating false papers, etc.  The last room takes you into the living room of a person from this period, with the radio as the final part of the game: children can let England know about the allied pilot’s arrival and check whether they have successfully completed all the stages of the game.

The idea was to create an exhibition that plunges the visitor into the world of the comic strip album, so they learn, in a fun way, about the challenging times of the resistance.

Last but not least, a panel talks about the liberation of Belgium, in connection with the date of its anniversary on 2 September. ”

A co-production: Le Lombard and the Brussels Comic Festival (visit.brussels)

Venue: BELvue Museum Dates: 7 August to 6 October 2019 Free

“THE SON OF TINTIN”

The “Son of Tintin” exhibition evokes the atmosphere of Doel and Rwanda, thanks to Jeroen Janssen’s original drawings.

This Belgian comic artist won the 2018 Adhemar Prize and, in this exhibition, he showcases his notebooks, which are both a real treasure and workshop. Inside them, he has written down the different stories that he has gathered during his investigations, along with sketches.

A co-production: the Brussels Comic Festival (visit.brussels) and Stripgids

Venue: BELvue Museum – Place des Palais, 7 - 1000 Brussels Dates: 13 September to 22 September 2019 Free

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“SPIROU AND BRUSSELS UNDER OCCUPATION”

This exhibition gives you the opportunity to venture into the world of Émile Bravo’s Spirou and the Second World War!

It creates a parallel between the “Hope Despite Everything” series and historical documents attesting acts of resistance from the Spirou Comic and from its editor-in-chief Jean Doisy. It gives you an opportunity to discover Émile Bravo’s most beautiful pages from albums from the “Hope Despite Everything” series, but also learn more about the Spirou Comic, which stopped being published during the Second World War for Resistance efforts. It’s also worth noting that the second volume of “Hope Despite Everything” will appear in the versions published by Dupois for the Brussels Comic Festival.

A co-production: the Brussels Comic Festival (visit.brussels), the Brussels Parliament and the Dupois and BIP publishers.

Venue: BIP (experience.brussels) – Rue Royale, 2-4 - 1000 Brussels Dates: 13 September to 28 November 2019 Price: Gratuit

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Publisher spaces As well as meeting the Comic Strip Festival's most loyal publishers, visitors will once again be joined by Flemish publishers. The Comic Strip Festival is proud to welcome: Stripgids, Ballon Media and Daedalus Uitgeverij. For the first time, it is also pleased to welcome Delcourt-Soleil Publishing, and to present several independent publishers who are the pride of our capital, including L'employé du Moi, FRMK, La 5e couche and Les Impressions Nouvelles.

But that’s not all. When you talk about publishing houses, you're also talking about authors and book signing sessions. Activities and animations of all kinds will also be on offer to visitors. Below is an overview.

Ankama Publishing At their first visit to the Comic Strip Festival, Ankama Publishing are offering the chance to join them at their stand, Made in Ankama. The programme includes: book signings, an expo, a preview of new titles and, in collaboration with the show, an introduction to drawing for a young audience with Céline Deregnaucourt, author of Eli & Gaston.

The following authors and artists will be signing books: Eric Hérenguel, MIG, Carlos Puerta, Céline Deregnaucourt, Ancestral Z, Javier, Nico Naranjo

Ballon Media At the Ballon Media stand visitors can escape through a selection of around 100 Flemish- language comics. They can fight a duel with Lucky Luke, make potato prints with Yasmina and Wauter Mannaert, and have albums signed by Charel Cambré and Mario Boon, among others, have a photo taken with Jommeke … or even take part in competitions.

The following authors and artists will be signing books: Mario Boon, Wauter Mannaert, Charel Cambré

Bamboo Publishing You can look forward to book signing sessions and small workshops at the Bamboo stand.

The following authors and artists will be signing books: Sti, Philippe Fenech, Philippe Larbier, Winoc, David Combet, Fabrice Meddour, Etienne Willem, Anlor, Antonin Gallo,Virginie Augustin, Kid Toussaint, Les Béka

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Casterman Publishing In addition to their book signing sessions, Casterman Publishing are offering, together with the Euro Space Center, an area in the park where you can go on a fun lunar expedition, accompanied by the famous reporter Guy Lefranc and the heroes of Airborne 44. The programme includes: boarding the space race time trial, discovering the map of the universe, dressing up as astronauts, photo stand with heroes from both series... An exhibition of models and objects highlighted by Comic Strip sets created by Lefranc’s reporting, will also showcase man's first steps on the moon at the Casterman stand.

Lili Sohn, Juliette Boutant, Thomas Mathieu and Aude Mermilliod will unveil the relationship of women to the world at a talk at Bozar on the Saturday at 4.30pm.

The following authors and artists will be signing books: Christophe Alves, François Corteggiani, Regric, Pierre-Emmanuel Paulis, Philippe Jarbinet, Sohn Lil, Juliette Boutant Et Thomas Mathieu, Aude Mermilliod

Dargaud Publishing Boule & Bill will be in the spotlight at the Dargaud stand: Boule and his pet dog Bill will walk around the marquees, a children's corner will offer brightly lit tables, face painting, murals and games based on the heroes who are celebrating their 60th anniversary. A special talk about the legendary duo “Blake & Mortimer”, with different contributors from the series, will take place at Bozar on Saturday 14th at 2pm. The winners of a lucky draw will meet the authors for a book signing after the talk.

The following authors and artists will be signing books: Catherine Meurisse, Gontran Toussaint, Léa Chrétien, Jean Bastide, Christophe Cazenove, Achdé, Iouri Jigounov, Yves Sente, Martin Jamar, Ronan Toulhoat, Vincent Brugeas, Roger, Josep Homs, Jordi Lafebre, Wauter Mannaert, Peter van Dongen, François Schuiten, Thomas Gunzig, Jaco Van Dormael, Laurent Durieux, André Juillard, Vanyda, Nicolas Hitori De, Frank Biancarelli, Joël Parnotte, Francis Porcel

Delcourt & Soleil Publishing This will be Delcourt Publishing’s début at the Comic Strip Festival, and they don't do things by halves: book signings, a giant mural to colour in, animations with their authors, a photocall with Terres d’Aran and Frigiel & Fluffy...as well as a surprise at the Balloon's Day Parade!

The following authors and artists will be signing books: Thierry Coppée, Edgar Kosma, Etienne Lecrenier, Marc Dubuisson, Mauricet, La Mine, Lilian Thuram, Richard Guerineau, Miss Prickly, Gradimir Smudja, Davy Mourier, Sylvain Ferret, Pauline Roland, Lajos Farkas, Un faux Graphiste 12

Dupuis Publishing Signings, workshops, exhibitions, debates and other surprises... the Spirou Festival is pulling out all the stops to enchant its many fans and invites everyone to join in for 3 days of Spirou- related activities.

More than 50 authors and illustrators will be present for signing sessions: Pierre Bailly, Benjamin Benéteau, Olivier Bocquet, Jocelyn Boisvert, Emile Bravo, Carbone, Lewis Trondheim and Brigitte Findakly, Nob, Christ James, Colpron, Brice Cossu, Justine Cunha, Christian and Lou Darasse, Arthur De Pins, Jean-Luc Deghlin, Marc Delafontaine and Maryse Dubuc, Bruno Dequier, Alain Dodier, Fabrice Erre, Walter Appelduck, Les Beka, Benoit Feroumont, Flix, Karensac, Marc Hardy, Gijé, Jousselin, Jouvray, Kox, etc.

Glénat Publishing To celebrate its 50th anniversary, Glénat Publishing has gone to great lengths: books signing sessions, animations...whatever it takes to make comic strips fans of all ages happy!

The following authors and artists will be signing books: Xavier Besse, Pierre Wachs, Philippe Foerster, Michel Pierret

Kana For the sixth time, Kana Publishing will be at the Comic Strip Festival, together with Elsa Brants and her new book “Par le pouvoir des dessins animés”, which goes behind the scenes of manga artists and their stories!

Visitors will not only be able to (re)discover manga classics such as Death Note, Naruto, Monster, but also titles new in 2019 with the thriller Time Shadows, Jerome Alquié’s beauty of drawing in his Capitaine Albator – Mémoires de l’Arcadia, as well as our new ‘whodunit’, where fairy tales are not always what they seem, with Héroines Games!

The following authors and artists will be signing books: Elsa Brants, Jérôme Alquié

Kennes Try your luck with “The wheel of fortune” animation, which will take place all weekend at the Kennes stand. You will also be able to take part in a penalty contest, taking place on the Saturday and Sunday.

The following authors and artists will be signing books: Dany, Ludo Borecki, Johan Pilet, Aurélie Guarino, Lisette Morival, Alexandre Are, Gurcan Gürsel, Lucile Thibaudier, Mirka Anfolfo, Stedo

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Lombard Publishing Attention all children: L’Élève Ducobu will need your help on the Lombard stand! The Latouche Institute is planning several activities in the “Ducobu” classroom.

The famous Youtubers Bapt & Gael and the artist Baba will also be there, to showcase a preview of their album “Ça c’est vraiment BD”. But that’s not all. They’ll also take part in a drawing improvisation performance at Bozar, at 3pm on the Saturday!

The following authors and artists will be signing books: Falzar, Godi, Alain Péral, Vincent Dugomier, Frédéric Genet, Thomas Legrain, Warnauts, Raives, Christophe Simon, Kas, Bapt & Gaël + Baba, Jef, Thomas Kotlarek, Dimitri Armand, David Tako, Yohan Sacré, Turk, Yves Swolfs, Philippe Xavier

Stripgids Stripgids presents Rockpaperpencil, the project that bridges creativity and entrepreneurship while providing young talent with the tools needed to become professionals. Visitors will be able to create their own playing card with the help of artist Dennis Marien.

Charel Cambré and the Prix Atomium winner Willy Vandersteen will be at extra book signings over the weekend.

The following authors and artists will be signing books: Patrick Cornelis, Charel Cambré, Dennis Marien

Wallonia-Brussels Federation The Wallonia-Brussels Federation supports independent publishers and authors and presents a selection of their creations. They will be at book signings all weekend. It’s also the chance to discover Lucie de Peslouan, the winner of the Québec/Wallonia-Brussels exchange, as well as Noémie Marsily, through an exhibition about her work.

Spirou Festival As part of the Comic Strip Festival, Les Éditions Dupuis look forward to meeting lots of comic book fans in the Parc de Bruxelles for the 5th ever SPIROU Festival! The perfect opportunity to take part in signing sessions, workshops, exhibitions, and discussions... as well as the chance to win gifts, meet the authors and some of the team behind the SPIROU Journal and Les Éditions Dupuis, and even pick up a scoop or two!

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International Pavilion While Belgium is particularly proud of its comics heritage, many other countries have an impressive track record too. Many foreign cultural representations from these countries are on display in the International Pavilion, giving visitors the opportunity to discover their works and enjoy a wonderful cultural exchange.

Algiers-Brussels- Havana-Moscow (Maison Autrique) Maison Autrique is putting on an exhibition on the theme of its new publication “Kronikas 3” and signing sessions by Brussels, Algerian, Cuban and Russian authors (Etienne Schréder, Jeroen Janssen, Nawel Louerrad, Aleksei Kapninskii, Izquierdo, Lysbeth Daumont-Robles and more). The exhibition gives you an imaginary detailed picture of the heritage of the cities where the invited authors live.

The Kronikas experience is supported by the Brussels-Capital Region / Brussels International. This imaginary detailed picture of Brussels, Algiers, Havana and Moscow has been a great success. Maison Autrique brings you the third phase of this project, joined by a growing number of comic authors from far-flung countries for you to discover in the International Pavilion at the Comic Strip Festival.

Egypt (TokTok Mag) The first edition of TokTok magazine was published in January 2011, during a time of social uprising. The quarterly magazine reflects everyday life in Egypt, from comic to tragic. TokTok Mag showcases original pictures, limited-edition posters, magazines in Arabic and “bests of” in French.

Colombia - (IFA LABORATORY-ARTS LAB BRUSSELS) The Colombian-Belgian production brings together two groups of teenagers, one from Molenbeek-St-Jean in Belgium and another from Ciudad Bolivar in Colombia, as well as the illustrators Xavier Löwenthal and Sindy Elefante. These districts from both sides of the Atlantic have both similarities and differences, and both are affected by stigmatisation. They set out to encourage collective reflection on perception, new perspectives and a demand for a new narrative.

Italy (Lucca Comics & Games by LUCCA CREA srl & the Italian Institute of Culture) Lucca Comics & Games returns to the Comic Strip Festival to bring you a range of talented Italian artists. Add some Italian comics to your collection too, with the collaboration with the Brussels bookshop Piola Libri.

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The Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom What’s the added value of the EU? What are the advantages of the European Union? These are the types of questions that the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom asks during the Animate Europe international comic competition. Come and discover the work of the five finalists, whose works are as diverse in their artistic style as they are in their approach and story. South Korea (The Brussels Korean Cultural Centre) Over the weekend, you will be able to enjoy an exhibition of Korean comics by the authors LEE Doo-Ho, KIM Hanjo, CHOI Jae-Hoon and LEE Yoon-Hee. These authors will be holding signing sessions. You will also be able to watch a video clip for the group BTS, made with illustrations by the author CHOI Jae-Hoon.

Webtoon workshops will also be put on for you. Webtoons (a portmanteau of the words ‘web’ and ‘cartoon’) are a new form of digital comic. Visitors will be able to make an episode of their own online comic at these webtoon workshops.

Alifbata (Arabic comic) ALIFBATA is a Marseille-based publisher which specialises in translating and publishing comics from the Arab world. This year, it welcomes the author Barrack Rima and Art for Ness to its stand and displays original illustrations by artists from the Maghreb and the Middle East, which are available for sale signed and numbered.

Democratic Republic of Congo A number of Congolese authors have made the journey to come and discuss Congolese comics and their evolution since the socio-political crisis. This is an opportunity to come and meet these artists, talk to them and discover their work.

Réunion Island (publications from Bulles dans l'Océan) Bulles dans l'Océan is an independent publisher founded 9 years ago which is committed to promoting promising young authors from the Indian Ocean. Come and discover the works of these artists who have come straight from these little corners of paradise and meet them during signing sessions. Their series will also be available in Flemish for the first time.

Goethe-Institut Brüssel For the 10th Comic Strip Festival, the Goethe-Institut Brüssel German language school brings you the German comic creator Flix, who is a big fan of Spirou, and his album Spirou in Berlin. He is the first German artist to draw an issue of this legendary Belgian series. He will make appearances in order to showcase Spirou in Berlin on Friday 13 September and Saturday 14 September.

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Czech Republic (Brussels Czech Centre) Visitors are invited to discover the history of Czech comics. Behind the Iron Curtain, authors spent a lot of time developing their own particular style there. In this exhibition, “A Century of Czech Comics”, the public will discover improbable sci-fi heroes, former presidents who have become carnivorous dinosaurs and even scouts in search of adventure.

Sterling Books Sterling Books, the independent English bookshop in Brussels, brings you a selection of their wide range of English-language comics as part of the Comic Strip Festival, such as Daniel Clowes, Alan Moore, Joe Sacco and Posy Simmonds, The Walking Dead, DC, Marvel and more.

EUNIC (The European National Institutes for Culture) Brussels members: Portugal, Estonia, the Basque Country, Hungary, Poland, Finland, Lithuania and Israel EUNIC member states invite the public to discover the comic heritage of their countries. In addition to a joint exhibition, talks and signing sessions, each country will put on workshops.

Camões, Portugal (The Institute of Cooperation and Language, I.P. – Portugal) Meet Asisko Urmeneta, an incredibly talented and funny artist. Humour is at the heart of his work, which is written in Basque and its dialects. Lithuania (The Embassy of the Republic of Lithuania in the Kingdom of Belgium) Lithuanian artist Akvilė Magicdust describes her work as a reflection of Northern Europe’s restrained mood with shades of tropical colours. She will be at the festival, just like Lina Itagaki and Jurga Vilé, who will come and exhibit their work. They have both collaborated, among others, on the graphic novel “Siberian Haiku”, which tells the story of Jurga Vilé’s father and his deportation to Siberia when he was a child.

Poland (The Polish Institute) Discover the depth of talent found in Polish artists over the entire weekend by coming to meet as many as four different artists, whose work is just as varied as it is rich in content! One of them is Marek Oleksicki, who has worked on a number of video projects and story-boards, as well as adverts, magazine covers and posters.

Hungary (The Balassi Institute – Cultural Service of the Hungarian Embassy) The Hungarian artists at the festival are real standard-bearers in their country. Between the work of Attila Futaki, the author of graphic novels which have become New-York Times best- sellers, and the appearance by Levente Németh, who will come to showcase his new historic comic, visitors will not be disappointed. Visitors will also be able to meet János Mészáros, winner of the Napút Publishing prize in 2018, or the multi-talented author Lajos Farkas.

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Estonia (The Permanent Representation of Estonia to the EU) Many Estonian artists will make appearances at the festival in order to showcase their work. Whether it’s an animated-film maker, a cartoonist, a blogger or someone else, they’ll have many things for you to discover. The Basque Country (The Etxepare Basque Institute) The public will be able to discover the work of the artist Asisko Urmeneta, which features comics, illustrations and caricature. This talented artist won the Basque Country Creativity Prize for the quality of his artwork, his commitment to the Basque Country and his work to promote culture. Finland (The Finnish Cultural Institute for Benelux) The Finnish artists H-P Lehkonen and Eelis "Nilukka" Torvinen will make appearances in order to showcase their projects and work. It’s a great excuse to immerse yourself in the world of these two talented professionals!

Israel (The Embassy of Israel in Belgium and Luxembourg) Didier Pasamonik will be at the festival.. This Belgian editor, journalist and curator has also written a number of essays on caricature, comics and popular culture. In addition to all of his activities, he also teaches at the Shoah Memorial in Paris.

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Conferences, shows and animations

Talks Authors, specialists, publishers and journalists put on a series of talks, meetings and round tables about the burning issues facing the world of comic books. Here’s an overview of what’s going on.

“BLAKE & MORTIMER” TALK

Meeting put on by the publisher Dargaud

François Schuiten will take part in a special talk on the legendary duo, along the series’ various artists. It’s a unique opportunity to talk about Edgar P. Jacobs’ work and the influence that it still has today on comic strip artists. Questions will be answered on topics such as the original work, or the focus of this last chapter on Brussels.

There will be a random audience-member draw and the winners will get to have an autograph from the authors after the talk.

Venue: STUDIO room at BOZAR Date: Saturday 14 September at 2:00 pm Free

“WOMEN’S VOICES” MEETING

Lili Sohn, Juliette Boutant, Thomas Mathieu and Aude Mermilliod provide a female account of the world. When women use comics as a platform to describe the world through their eyes. Aude Mermilliod, working alongside the novelist Martin Winckler, will have the opportunity to break her silence on abortion, which is still a taboo subject and which she skilfully discusses in her album “I had to tell you about it.” Juliette Boutant and Thomas Mathieu will discuss the issue of sexism in our society, in light of the album “The Crocodiles”. Finally, Lili Sohn, author of “Vagin tonic”, will go into detail about how she deals with major female issues, as she humorously does in Mamas, a brief summary of deconstructing the maternal instinct. The meeting is put on by the publisher Casterman. It has been put together in collaboration with Ladyfest, Elle Belgique, Beabee and Touche Pas A Ma Pote.

Venue: STUDIO room at BOZAR Date: Saturday 14 September at 4:30 pm. Free

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Show

“NOW THAT’S A COMIC!” - Bapt & Gaël, Baba Show arranged in partnership with the publisher Lombard A wild and really fun drawing battle featuring the famous Youtubers Youtubers Bapt & Gaël and Baba. Visitors will also be able to discover their new album “Now that’s a comic!” (published by Lombard), which will be available for the first time at the Brussels Comic Festival. But that is not all! A few lucky winners in a draw will be able to meet Bapt & Gaël and Baba, and enjoy a small snack with them after the show.

Venue: M Room at BOZAR Date: Saturday 14 September at 3:00 pm. Free

The animations

The Comic Strip Festival is also the perfect time to immerse yourself in the world of the Comic Strip and take part in an adventure. From a lunar expedition to visiting Greenpeace’s “Gallery of oceans”, via an introduction to how engravings are made, there will be something for everyone.

“Space race! ” Three lunar adventures at the Comic Strip Festival Casterman Publishing and the Euro Space Center are celebrating the 50th anniversary of man’s first steps on the moon at the Comic Strip Festival. A special area in the heart of the park will transport old and young alike on a fun and unprecedented lunar expedition, in the company of the famous reporter Guy Lefranc and the heroes of Airborne 44. Included in the programme: boarding the space race time trial, discovering the map of the universe, dressing up as astronauts, photo stand with heroes from both series...An exhibition of models and objects highlighted by Comic Strip sets created by Lefranc’s reporting, will also showcase man's first steps on the moon, at the Casterman stand (C01).

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Greenpeace The Oceans Gallery With its international campaign “Protect the Oceans”, Greenpeace is highlighting the need to protect our oceans, which are the real lungs of our planet, just as our forests are. To put this protection in place, Greenpeace is calling on all governments to negotiate a Global Oceans Treaty at the United Nations and to establish a global network of marine reserves. The aim: to preserve at least 30% of our oceans by 2030.

As part of this campaign, Greenpeace launched the #drawthisinyourstyle challenge and asked Belgian artists and caricaturists to give their take on the Lost City, a mysterious place situated at the bottom of the Atlantic that’s threatened by deep-sea mining companies hunting for precious minerals there. You can see the surprising result at the Greenpeace Oceans Gallery!

Included in the programme: a sound and light show, a creative workshop, lost Smurfs, superb prizes and an inspiring Greenpeace talk on the importance of protecting our oceans.

Atelier 24 Since 2012, this Belgian comic strip collective has brought out a high-quality, democratic magazine twice a year: comic strips, illustration, engraving, and other graphic arts are depicted by all the authors who make up the collective. Visitors can discover and test out engraving on Tetrapak (fast, affordable and environmentally friendly) or create badges accompanied by authors from Atelier 24.

Comic Strip Schools and Academies The Academies of Fine Arts at Tournai, Watermael-Boitsfort and Châtelet, along with Digital Art students from ESA Saint Luc Brussels, will tell you about their projects and explain how to make a Comic Strip!

Fanwars 501st Garrison Immerse yourself in the world of Star Wars, its scenery, models, costumes and imperial animation with the 501st FanWars Garrison. Join the dark side!

The 501st FanWars Garrison is part of the 501st Legion, a global organisation that’s officially recognised by Lucasfilm. It’s made up of more than 10,000 members around the world across many national clubs. Every year, FanWars members take part in numerous charitable activities, conventions and official events when new films come out, for example.

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Brick Live Ahead of its return to Brussels in November at Tour & Taxis, BRICK LIVE is dropping its bricks off at the Comic Strip Festival! The programme includes: a large interactive mural, workshops to build characters in 2D and 3D, a Lego® graffiti wall and an exhibition of Lego® construction...something for the whole family!

Geek Zone Geek Zone is opening the doors on its imaginary world! Both adults and children can experiment with digital illustration through Wacom graphic designer tablets, go on a journey through time with geek stories, renew their wardrobes with t-shirts created by Wistitee and have plenty more surprises!

Flash Raccoon will lead this ‘geekesque’ experience. Their ambition is to showcase Belgian talent through interactive conferences, projects and activities for the general public. Flash Raccoon is made up of a team of 3 people: Kamal, Raccoon Communication, Julien, Raccoon director, Lyonel, Raccoon Design. They will guide visitors through their audio-visual and design communication.

Blow Books – New Visitors will be able to discover Blow Books. These are affordable books in small formats sold in vending machines, which will be officially launched at the Comic Strip Festival. Three vending machines will be available at the site.

Spirou Festival Book signings, workshops, expos, debates and other surprises...the Spirou Festival goes to great lengths to attract numerous fans and invites you to join us, as it does every year, for 3 days of activities based around the Spirou Magazine!

Comic Strip Museum The Comic Strip Museum is celebrating its 30th anniversary! The programme includes: a photography exhibition tracing 30 years of this unmissable museum, competitions for old and young alike, and a reading corner where you can discover albums, both future and current, that are showcased in CBBD (Belgian Comic Strip Center) exhibitions!

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Balloon’s Day Parade On Sunday 15 September, the Balloon’s Day Parade will process through the streets of Brussels for nearly three hours. As part of this year's parade, a new balloon featuring the design of Toto and the famous Citroën 2CV belonging to Boule’s parents will have the great honour of being part of the procession.

From 10 am, the amazing spectacle of the balloons being inflated on Place des Palais will begin. During the afternoon, the balloons will be inflated on Place des Palais and will depart from there. Spirou, Tintin, the Cat, the Smurf, Boule, Blurk, Gaston and their new friend will set off on their route along the main streets of Brussels.

More information : For more information about the Comic Strip Festival: www.fetedelabd.brussels (site regularly updated)

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Press information Press contact of the Brussels Comic Strip Festival: Noémie Wibail - [email protected] - +32 490 49 43 84

Other press contacts

Publisher Press Officer Email Telephone Ankama Clémentine [email protected] +33 6 70 41 21 24 Guimontheil Ballon Media Jente Lambrechts [email protected] 03 294 15 00 / 0472 50 64 88 Bamboo Stephane Levens [email protected] +32 479 749 598 Publishing Casterman Valérie Constant [email protected] +32 473 85 57 90 Dargaud Coraline Walravens [email protected] 02 526 68 84 / 0499 08 81 69 Dupuis (Spirou Sophie Dumont [email protected] 071 600 593 Festival) / 0496 55 57 54

Fluide Glacial Valentine VERON [email protected] +33 1 40 03 97 41 / +33 6 18 95 72 73

Glénat Elise Brun [email protected] +33 1 41 46 11 28 P’tit Louis Muriel L’Henoret [email protected] +33 2 99 35 19 86 Publishing Paquet Miguel Casas [email protected] +33 177 45 52 21/ +41 79 962 79 73

Kana Stéphanie Nunez [email protected] +33 1 53 26 32 38 +33 6 22 97 52 43 Kennes Giacomo Talone [email protected] Publishing

Le Lombard Sophie de Saint [email protected] +33 6 74 84 39 45 Blanquat Rue de Alisson Besnard [email protected] +32 2 736 44 62 Sèvres/Ecole +32 479 99 05 00 des Loisirs +33 6 07 28 11 84 Stripgids Kurt Morissens [email protected] +32 497792523.

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