A documentary by Sien Versteyhe

Synopsis

With two sharp blows to the head, 23-year-old Jean-Pierre Bauwens Junior sends his opponent straight to the canvas and becomes the WBC youth international boxing champion. Yet this is only a small victory. The eldest of seven kids, four of whom have autism, Junior must now face increasingly tougher opponents to secure a home and a better life for his brothers and sisters. When family tragedy strikes, the pressure mounts and Junior must split his time between the gym and caring for his autistic siblings. “Everything will be alright,” says Junior to his grieving mother. “I know, my child,” she says. “We have one advantage, we have each other.” This stunning documentary, reminiscent of Ken Loach’s social realist style, is a welcomed reminder of the power of documentary to capture real life stories in a raw and unmediated way.

International film festivals

Docville, Leuven, 2012, Official selection, Honourable mention of the Jury
IDFA, Amsterdam, 2012, Doc market
Hotdocs, Toronto, 2013, Official selection (International premiere)
FIPA, Biarritz, 2013, Doc market
Millenium Documentary film festival, Brussels, 2013, Official selection
Visions du Réel, Nyon, 2013, Doc market
Sheffield Doc/Fest, Sheffield, 2013, Doc market
Flahertiana documentary film festival, Perm (Russia), Official selection, 2013
Flagstaff Mountain film festival, Flagstaff (USA), 2013, Official selection, Winner of Flagstaff Mountain award
Sprout Film Festival, New York, 2014, Official selection
EUNIC film festival, Namibië, 2014, Official selection
European Union Film Festival, Swaziland, 2014, Official selection
Documentary Edge Festival, Auckland/Wellington (New Zealand), Official selection, 2014, Winner of Best International Short award

Credits

Director – Sien Versteyhe
Camera – Sien Versteyhe
Production – Wouter Sap
Editing – Tom Denoyette
Music – Rauw en Onbesproken
Sound design – Thomas Vertongen
Color grading – Veerle Zeelmaekers
Supported by Flanders Audiovisual Fund (VAF)

More info

Order JUNIOR on DVD worldwide! (ook te koop via Flanders Doc-shop)

Follow @Juniorfilm on Twitter
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Theatrical programmation Cinebel: Cinebel programmation info
Flanders Doc

International sales: journeyman.tvfilms@journeyman.tv
Watch JUNIOR on Daltonhttps://www.dalton.be/documentaires/video/junior