SYNOPSIS

Early one summer morning a young man, with a secret stashed away in a duffel bag, emerges from the forest. In a nearby village he asks around for work, but the farmers, suspicious to the point of hostility, are not very forthcoming. Only when Lucy, the mayor’s unruly daughter, takes a liking to him, does the village change its attitude: he is promptly offered a job as a farmhand and a caravan to live in.

As time passes and he is gradually integrated into the community, it emerges that he’s not the only one with a past to hide. Something sinister is lurking under the immaculate surface of this picturesque little world - and it is slowly drawing him in.

DIRECTOR

Govinda Van Maele was born in Luxembourg in 1983, as son of Sri Lankan - Belgian parents. He started making films in his teens, leading to a job in the local film industry after high school graduation. His directorial credits include the shorts JOSH (2007), A DAY IN THE OPEN (2012), and YOU GO AHEAD (2013), as well as the documentary WE MIGHT AS WELL FAIL (2011). GUTLAND is his debut fiction feature.