Little Baby Jesus of Flandr

It's not often that graduation projects earn a mention in Variety, but they have a whole article on Belgian director Gust Van den Berghe's short Little Baby Jesus of Flandr. The reason is that Van den Berghe's film "is in Cannes with a slot in the Directors' Fortnight". There are quite a few reviews for the film up already including Screen Daily, Indiewire and The Hollywood Reporter.

The film is apparently based on a 1924 play by Felix Timmermans. The Hollywood Reporter' summarises the plot well:

...three drunken beggars go caroling to earn some money and in the woods come across what one, Suskewiet (Jelle Palmaerts), is convinced is the birth of the baby Jesus. In the touching scene, the beggars leave the poor but happy family the only gifts/possession they have: scraps of food, money and "for when the kid grows up," some cigarettes.

Later the three fall out and one of them ultimately "sells his soul to the devil in exchange for material wealth".

The film has rightly been lauded for not only employing actors with Down's Syndrome, but giving them "something other to play than token handicapped characters".

The trailer is available to view online, but I suspect the opportunities to see the film itself will be fairly limited.

Thanks to Peter Chattaway for the tip off.