The ninth edition of the Courtisane Film Festival, that will be held next March 17-21 in the Belgian city of Gent promises to be one of the most interesting events of the year. Just the 39 films and videos included in the official competition make it a worthy trip, with the latest works by Ben Rivers, Phil Solomon, David Gatten, Peter Rose, Rosa Barba and many more.

The festival will feature two thematic evenings of performances, installations and screenings: Night Vision will explore 'the dynamics between visibility and invisibility, light and darkness, seeing the night and seeing in the night', with performances by Paul Clipson & William Fowler Collins, Phantom Limb & Earth's Hypnagogia and Pieter Geenen; Surface Tension will investigate 'the folds and fissures between perception and conscience, experience and meaning' with performances by Dominique Petitgand, Karen Mirza, Brad Butler & David Cunningham and Paul Abbott with Seymour Wright & Ross Lambert. The section 'Artist in focus' will invite filmmakers Morgan Fisher, David Gatten and David O'Reilly to present a partial retrospective of their work and a 'carte blanche' programme. Morgan Fisher will also give a master class on the 23rd.

Read the festival's programme for full details.