Imagine yourself, you’ve just had a pleasant dinner and you’re running out with some quality wine, the lights are slightly dimmed and you consider renting a movie to finish the day in a most relaxed way. There you are in that videotheque with more than hunderds of dvd’s ready to watch from the comfort of your sofa.

That, is not that simple as you might imagine, because one of us is from Doornik and knows insufficient English and Dutch to enjoy a movie consisting of only images.  Still, after thirty minutes of active searching we often don’t find our movie because of that language barriere.

Why? Just because there is a commercial border inbetween our languages. In theory we’d have to buy two television sets, dvd’s and headphones to watch that same movie together with that glass of red wine and two cute yellow candles on the table!

We are living in a multi-cultural country where different languages join eachother; so why even support such kind of diversity in Belgium, starting with Movies?

Why pull up such big wall inbetween our own citizens, starting already when born? Some movies got more than ten languages, any language you might imagine; except French! Pirates of the Carribean has for example only NL, EN, SWE, NOR, DNK, FIN, ISL, PRT and EST but no French! I’ve noticed this problem is getting wide-scale, since almost none of the newer movies do support these two languages at all, This while a language is an universal thing, not bound to one country!

All movies mentioned in this post are bought in Belgium and it’s likewise impossible to find these in the videotheque with French subtitles.

This in a country, trying to improve the barriere between the two major language fronts, to bring a bit of future inbetween an united and language-enriched Belgium. Why not regulize the market to minimize this problem towards any frustrated Belgian movie lover? How can this, according you, be improved in 2009 towards our fellow citizens? I’m for sure not the only Belgian having problems with this, demanding a solution. I’ll never be able to watch E.T. with my beloved, or Natural Born Killers, Pulp Fiction, Donnie Darko, Constantine, The Hunt for the Red October and many more movies from the top!

There are movies like Amistad supporting six languages, 12 Monkeys even twelve languages but no French at all! As cherry on top, De Zaak Alzheimer (The Case Alzheimer) one of the best movies created in Belgium; bought in Belgium has ONLY Dutch subtitles and language. It is a very big shame, we are living in a three-language country without having any support from those who should support this country the most! To get the French edition you’ll have to buy the same DVD again, in French!

Can You, Minister of Culture, please change this madness? All that try to come together from all over Belgium; give them atleast a honest chance to feel free in their own country watching movies together without loops?

Why support such commercial wall with the distribution sector and not with You? Because this change could support the well-being and prosperity of any Belgian citizen towards a country; with hands together instead of creating a huge language barriere starting at birth. Who could not support such idea for it’s citizens? This possibility is already present for years in the movietheaters around Belgium. The videotheques are powerless while the distribution sector in France forces their language as only option to the Belgian moviesector. Belgium has as national motto “In our unity lies our strength” as national motto, while we support the creation of an unfixable language barriere in one of the most selected social events on an evening…

The solution could be small, like an obligatory, visible mark mentioning the lack of the two languages? Or to stretch this even further, to force subtitles upon any Belgian release and import, instead of supporting and sponsoring this unsupportive language-wall.

We’re living in a 3 language country where we all want to be comfortable and understand a bit together!

Casting out … Freaking Wildchild!

note: This letter was sent to the Flemish Minister of Culture (Bert Anciaux) which has till now been unanswered;

It will be sent again in due time with a copy to the French Minister of Culture (Fadila Laanan) together with the reactions caused on this post.

[Please give your reactions here, this article will be forwarded towards the proper authorities ]

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