A short film by Gilles Vandeweerd

Ceci n'est pas
un homme

A film about what we inherit.
And what we choose to pass on.

Artistic reference image · © Wim Wenders

A story waiting to be brought to life

Why this film?

What do we pass on
without meaning to?

At the birth of his son, Guillaume falters. Fatherhood itself does not frighten him. What frightens him is what he may pass on despite himself.

As he revisits his childhood and adolescence, he becomes aware of the masculine models that shaped him. The film looks at the ordinary — the silences, gestures and repeated phrases — where inheritance takes root and change can begin.

It seeks neither culprits nor ready-made answers. Instead, it opens a breach: can we interrupt certain patterns and offer another path to the generation that comes next?

Painting of a young man lying on a yellow sofa

“I am not writing this film about a subject. I am writing it from a very personal place, because I cannot do otherwise.”Gilles Vandeweerd

Reference artwork · © Claire Tabouret

Portrait of writer and director Gilles Vandeweerd

Gilles Vandeweerd · writer, director and actor

Why support Gilles?

A story four years in the making.

After more than fifteen years of embodying other people's stories, Gilles moves into directing with the most personal and ambitious film of his journey so far.

Trained at Cours Florent, he has worked across cinema, television and theatre, notably in Le Somnambuliste on ARTE, Le Collier rouge alongside François Cluzet and the series Souviens-toi with Marie Gillain.

As a man and a father, he chooses not to depict spectacular violence, but the intimate machinery that precedes it — and the possibility of refusing to reproduce it.

“Under the pressure of the MeToo movement, toxic masculinity is being denounced more and more clearly, both within and by the film world. But everyone understands that changing things will take time — perhaps a generation — and that the only solution is to raise our boys better. With all the sensitivity he has always brought to his work as an actor, Gilles Vandeweerd now intends to step behind the camera to speak, as both a father and a filmmaker, about what our sons and grandsons may become if we are not careful. This is an essential subject. I urge you to support him in this endeavour, just as I urge you to support his producer, Constance Powis, whom I trust completely to bring this important project to fruition. This is not a message of goodwill. It is a certainty.”

Philippe ReynaertCinephile and film advocate

A project already in motion

€55,000
already secured.
€40,000 to take it all the way.

Thanks to the Province of Liège, the Belgian Tax Shelter and our first private partners, more than half of the budget is already in place. The film is ready, the team is taking shape and shooting is scheduled in Liège for March 2027.

We are now raising the €40,000 that will take us through the final stage without reducing the film's artistic ambition. Every contribution joins a solid financing base and has a direct, tangible impact on the film.

We are putting all our energy into securing this final amount. Your support can turn all the work already accomplished into six days of shooting — and then into a film ready to meet its audience.

Support the film

The next stepThe shoot

A team ready, a date set and one final collective effort to move into production.

Group of boys, a visual reference for the Hall of Men

Why €95,000 for a short film?

Because a vision needs a world.

At the heart of the film, one sequence shifts into a symbolic space: the Hall of Men. A set conceived as an allegory and inhabited by almost 70 actors and extras, where the models men inherit, reproduce and pass on become visible.

Building this world requires precise set design, costumes, lighting, coordination and professional shooting conditions — as well as sound, music, editing, colour grading and distribution.

30+film professionals involved

6shooting days

70actors and extras for the Hall of Men

23 minof cinema to shoot, edit, mix and share

And after the end credits?

The film must keep living.

Festivals, cinemas, schools, universities, associations and companies: we want every screening to become a space for conversation.

The project is already fostering exchanges with people and organisations engaged with the questions it raises. Their insight will help shape the future programme of screenings, conversations and encounters with audiences.

Our partners will be part of this continuing life of the film, acknowledged at events and recognised as the people who made this conversation possible.

01Festivals

02Screenings

03Conversations

04Education

Reference artwork · © Claire Tabouret

The film is already coming to life

Mahé Beaudon-Kyriacou will play Paul.

Gilles met Mahé on the set of Elsa Blayau's Notre fils, in which the young actor plays the leading role.

His precision, sensitivity and screen presence made him the natural choice for Paul, the child at the heart of the film's exploration of inheritance. A Franco-Belgian artistic and technical team is already gathering around him.

Discover his work

A collective adventure

Three companies. Two countries. One shared standard.

Belgium · production & executive productionim'act Production

France · productionLes Films du Cadre

Belgium · co-productionKong Films

With the support ofthe Province of Liègethe Belgian Tax Shelter

Ceci n'est pas un homme is the first ambitious short film carried by im'act Production. Supporting it also means placing your trust in a new company committed to demanding, humane and necessary work.

Every gesture counts

Your place in the adventure.

€20, €50, €500 or more: there is no such thing as a small contribution. Each one brings us closer to the first day of shooting. Every supporter will be thanked.

Up to €50A first gesture

Signed film poster
Updates on the project
Your name in the acknowledgements

The director’s eternal and entirely disproportionate gratitude.

€50 to €100The film moves forward with you

All previous rewards
Invitation to a screening of the film

You will be able to say, “I was there before everyone else” — and it will be true.

€100 to €250A more direct link with the film

All previous rewards
Signed poster with a personalised note
A voice message sent from the shoot

Probably recorded between two takes and a moment of doubt.

€250 to €500A contribution that means a great deal

All previous rewards
Special mention in the credits
The film script

The moral right to say you are a producer — even if, legally, that is false.

From €500Being there as it happens

All previous rewards
Invitation to spend time with us on set

You will see that, ultimately, everything depends on coffee and very focused people.

Contributions are voluntary forms of support and are not eligible for a tax deduction.

Your turn to step into the story

Be among those
who made
this film possible.

It only takes two minutes: complete the form, then make your contribution by bank transfer or by scanning the QR code.

Complete the form

So that we can thank you, keep you informed and arrange your reward.

Open the form

Make your contribution

IBAN · im'act SRLBE69 0682 4398 9278

Reference: Voluntary contribution - CNPH + First and last name

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Want to know more?

Discover the project, the team and all the ways to take part in our complete English-language support pack.

Download the support pack