Patrasche, a Dog of Flanders - Made in Japan evokes several different (imaginary) representations of Flanders based on the novel. The story originally reflects the love of Ouida for dogs and art, being the owner of 15 dogs who received lobster for lunch. Yet the story is above all a British critique on Flanders as a barbarian, heartless and utterly unchristian place. By contrast, the Japanese perceive of a heroic and tragic Flanders through the story of Nello: he is the western samurai who dies with nobility and Patrasche is the symbol of friendship and loyalty, values, which are vital to the Japanese. In Flanders, Nello's noble way of dieing is no part of their cultural heritage. The film blends different visual styles. Starting from a small house in Flanders the author-narrator embarks on a virtual trip trough all the images created by the novel. Scenes from unique 35mm and 16mm prints of all USA films based on the book, State of the art anime scenes of the Japanese series, Numerous illustrations found in first print books from the UK, USA and Japan, Laterna magica images,... Through the story of 'A dog of Flanders' and its many images, the film continuously flirts with imaginary, fictionalized and hilarious versions of Flanders. It is therefore clear that this film is not only destined for "Flemish" viewers. Patrasche, a Dog of Flanders - Made in Japan is a laboratory of the image. It is a prism, through which the viewer can experience how flu reality is and how a small book can stigmatize | create an entire culture. STATEMENT DIRECTORS Being born in Flanders, we are interested in stories starting from our own experience and taking us on a journey abroad - hereby creating intercultural links between us and others. The story about a dog of Flanders interests us particularly because its impact worldwide is so unknown in Belgium. What does this say about "us"? Why don't "we" see or understand this impact? And even more interesting: how do others see "us"? How do they imagine "us"? What cultural values are intertwined with their imagination of "us"? Through the story of the dog of Flanders we try to go deeper and evoke these cultural values of the British, the Americans and especially of the Japanese. Japan is a country that has been a source of inspiration for both of us for many years. Didier is an 'otaku', growing up in the seventies with Japanese manga. Through this film, he intertwines his personal fascination for one of the first large scale animated series, his desire to collect and analyse films and his own country. An is a visual anthropologist and weaves her interests in cultural differences, with the questioning of the documentary genre itself. We think of the audiovisual as a playful toolbox. Each specific story creates a specific use of camera, sound, editing. With Patrasche, a Dog of Flanders - Made in Japan we appreciate the challenge of combining different types of images - archival footage, animation and live interviews - in elaborating a personalized point of view. We treat these different images as a caleidoscope, a laboratory of images of the author-narrator who explores, analyses, compares and recreate. Contrasts between imaginary communities and what people experience are fascinating to us. In Patrasche, a Dog of Flanders - Made in Japan this contrast is the result of the imagination by the Japanese and the Americans based on the novel of "Dog of Flanders" versus the ignorance of the Flemish of (the popularity of) this book. We think these stories are crucial in our contemporary society in which previously obvious borders are fading. Influenced by globalization, the network society, and new technologies, people and their communities undergo drastic transformations in a relatively short period of time, and representations are always part of this process.

Patrasche: A Dog of Flanders, Made in Japan

A workaholic businessman provides well for his son San, but the emotional neglect since his mother died a few years ago grimly affects the shy knave. In San's heroic daydreams, a cool father leads him into modern Quichote exploits, yet even those tend to turn sour. Slipping, like his grades, into rebellion and school incidents, San, who just went on a fugue, becomes the prime suspect after a schoolgirl turned novice drug slut has been beaten into a coma. The clueless police and irresponsible school staff will probably blame San. Her friend, a regular drug harlot, is the worried-sick father's only lead to find San and the truth, and shamelessly exploits that.