100 YEARS OF CINEMA - DE WITTE

Presumably, Cinema Plaza has existed for a little longer, but the earliest provable document of the existence of Cinema Ankerpaleis in the Handelsstraat dates from 1926. A thorough reason for both Plazapeters Jan & Kris De Smet to celebrate the centenary in 2026 with some gems from film history. Duffelaar Jef Bruyninckx became world-famous in Flanders in 1934 with his portrayal of De Witte in the film of the same name. Within a few months, the 14-year-old boy became a Bekende Vlaming avant la lettre, a youth idol of the thirties, the first Flemish star actor. The film adaptation of Ernest Claes’s picaresque novel began a triumphal march through Flemish cinemas from mid-September 1934 and grew into an absolute box-office hit. De Witte most likely attracted even more spectators than Loft and Koko Flanel. With this second Flemish sound film, directors Jan Vanderheyden and Edith Kiel also wrote a special piece of film history. Direction: Jan Vanderheyden & Edith Kiel with Jef Bruyninckx, Nand Buyl, Willem Benoy, Magda Janssens, Willem Cauwenberg, Wim De Gruyter, Ida Wasserman, Jules Dirickx • 1934 • 100 min.