Petites

A documentary by Pauline Beugnies

“Petites” tells the story of the Dutroux case through the testimonies of the generation of children, now grown up, who were exposed far too early with ignominy in the privacy of their homes. Their memories are altered by time, deformed by media coverage and limited by their youth and innocence. Together, their memories tell an intimate version of the story. A piece of collective memory.

NL: In “Petites” wordt het verhaal van de zaak-Dutroux verteld door de toenmalige generatie kinderen die nu volwassen zijn. Veel te jong werden ze blootgesteld aan de gruwelijkheden die hun zorgeloze kinderlevens binnenslopen. Hun herinneringen zijn vervormd door de media en hun kinderlijke blik en veranderd doorheen de tijd. Samen werpen deze getuigenissen een intieme en ongeziene blik op de zaak-Dutroux.

Written and directed by PAULINE BEUGNIES Produced by RAYUELA PRODUCTIONS in coproduction with DIPLODOKUS, HAUTEVILLE PRODUCTIONS, RTBF – UNITE DOCUMENTAIRE, SHELTER PROD and WALLONIE IMAGE PRODUCTION – WIP, with the help of CENTRE DU CINÉMA ET DE L’AUDIOVISUEL DE LA FÉDÉRATION WALLONIE-BRUXELLES and FONDS AUDIOVISUEL DE FLANDRE (VAF), with the support of FONDS POUR LE JOURNALISME, of TAXSHELTER.BE and of ING, of tax shelter du gouvernement fédéral de Belgique, with the participation of the REGION DE BRUXELLES CAPITALE, in partnership with VRT CANVAS

Petites is a free, intimate, poignant, choral narration of these events by those who saw the sordidness break into their intimacy via the television.

- Nicolas Bogaerts, Le Vif

This is perhaps the first time that the Dutroux case is not told by specialists, judges, cops or parents, but by children of the time.

- Gen Ueda, Vice Belgique

A rereading of a difficult period for the country, from the perspective of a child, of innocence. An intimate and moving documentary.

- Femmes d'Aujourd'hui

Did we listen enough to the children of the time? Have we missed the opportunity to have a real conversation about paedocriminality? A moving, sensitive and unsettling dive into this dark era, "Petites" brings these questions back to the centre of the debate.

- Adrien Corbeel, RTBF Culture

Awards & Selections

Hot docs 2022 – Canadian International Documentary Festival, International Spectrum competition, Toronto

Vrai de Vrai 2022 –  Festival des étoiles du Documentaire, Paris

Ramdam 2023 – Le festival du film qui dérange, Tournai

Etoile de la Scam 2022

Nominated for the Magritte du Meilleur Documentaire 2023

TECHNICAL SHEET

Original Title: Petites

International Title: The End of Innocence

Duration: 83 min.

Languages spoken in the film: french, dutch

Subtitled versions: french, dutch, english

Script and direction: Pauline Beugnies

Producer: Laurence Buelens

Assistant director: Ruth Vandewalle

Image: Tristan Galand

Sound: Edith Herregods, Gedeon Depauw, Roel Poriau et Laurent Thuaud

Editing: Léo Parmentier

Original music: Lionel Vancauwenberge

Sound editing: Lise Bouchez

Mix: Jeff Levillain

Documentalists: Sarah Dabaghy, Isabelle Errera

Graphic: Annelies Vaes

Calibration: Nicolas Duval

Co-production: Diplodokus, Shelter Prod, Hauteville Productions

Distributors: RTBF, VRT

Support(s) and Partners : Le Centre du Cinéma et de l’Audiovisuel de la Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles, Wallonie Image Production – WIP, screen.brussels, Le Fonds Audiovisuel de Flandre (VAF), Flanders Image, le Fonds pour le journalisme, TaxShelter.be, Hauteville Productions.

This project was supported by the writing grant ORANGE BELGIUM x SACD – SCAM.

ISAN: 0000-0006-1733-0000-V-0000-0000-I