Heysel 85

Heysel 85

Director Teodora Ana Mihai

1 hr. 31 min. · Belgium, Netherlands, Germany, 2026 · Drama, History · Dutch, English, Italian, French · Subtitles: Lithuanian, English · Pegi 13

About the film

1985. Football fans gather at Brussels’ Heysel Stadium for the European Cup final between Juventus and Liverpool. Before kick-off, hooligan violence erupts, leaving 39 people dead. With the mayor of Brussels drunk and overwhelmed, his daughter and press attaché Marie steps in to mediate between politicians, police and match officials. At the heart of the negotiations lies an impossible question: cancel the match and risk further unrest, or allow play to continue? Based on true events and incorporating archive footage from Heysel, the film looks beyond the tragedy itself to the long, troubled entanglement of football and corruption, sport and politics. Heysel 85 premiered as a Berlinale Special Gala.

Details

Running time
1 hr. 31 min.
Country, year
Belgium, Netherlands, Germany, 2026
Genre
Drama, History
Language
Dutch, English, Italian, French
Subtitles
Lithuanian, English
Age rating
Pegi 13

Credits

Director
Teodora Ana Mihai
Screenplay
Isabelle Darras, Teodora Mihai
Producers
Hans Everaert
Cinematography
Marius Panduru
Music
Anna Bauer
Cast
Violet Braeckman, Matteo Simoni, Josse De Pauw, Fabrizio Rongione, Michel de Warzee
More information
www.imdb.com

Festivals and awards

  • Buenos Aires International Festival of Independent Cinema Best Director · 2026
Teodora Ana Mihai

Director

Teodora Ana Mihai

Teodora Ana Mihai is a Belgian-Romanian filmmaker born in Bucharest. She made her documentary debut in 2014 with Waiting for August, which won several awards and earned a European Film Award nomination. Her first fiction feature, La Civil, co-produced by Luc and Jean-Pierre Dardenne and Cristian Mungiu, received the Prix de l’Audace in Un Certain Regard at Cannes. Her second feature, Traffic, won the Warsaw Grand Prix and was selected as Romania’s submission for Best International Feature Film at the Academy Awards. Heysel 85 is her third fiction feature.

Screenings

3 screenings in 2 cities.

  1. Thursday, November 12 19:00 Forum Cinemas Vingis · Hall 6 Tickets
  2. Saturday, November 14 18:40 Forum Cinemas Vingis · Hall 12 Tickets