Karim Akalay’s “6TM” has received the New Visions Award for the most promising European project at the Ji.hlava Documentary Film Festival. The filmmaker presented the project at the festival, where he described it as a Belgian family comedy told in three chapters and rooted in magic realism and community resilience.
Set during a hot summer in Brussels’ Cité Modèle housing estate, where Akalay was born, the story follows three connected narratives within one family. Two children search for a magical key that could stop their wheelchair-using friend from being forced to leave because of broken elevators. A teenage girl brings together a group of outsiders for a soccer tournament, while a mother organizes her neighbors to discover who stole the rain.
Akalay says the title is a wordplay based on local usage. “6T,” pronounced “six-T,” sounds like “cité,” the French word for housing estate, while the “m” refers to “modèle.” The abbreviation for Cité Modèle is also presented as part of the neighborhood’s own language and identity.
The filmmaker chose to focus on several protagonists because, in his view, life in a housing estate cannot be reduced to a single character’s experience. By following children, teenagers and parents from the same family, the film explores how different generations respond to shared difficulties. Its central idea is collective strength rather than the journey of one hero.
“6TM” combines a realistic setting with fantasy. Akalay refers to the project’s approach as “anti-social realism,” contrasting the hardship often associated with social-realist cinema with characters who respond to problems through humor, imagination and invention. The film addresses issues including broken elevators, extreme heat and displacement, while incorporating magic and elements inspired by manga.
Producers Walid Bekhti and Hanoulia Salamé say the project’s realism is essential to making its fantasy believable. The film is planned to be shot on location with non-professional actors and stories drawn from the neighborhood, allowing the magical elements to emerge from the community rather than function as an escape from reality.
The producers describe “6TM” as a family film intended to work on several levels. Younger viewers can follow its adventures, while adults can recognize the social realities beneath them. The team also hopes to offer audiences a positive representation of a neighborhood that is more often shown through drama.
Akalay is particularly interested in reaching young audiences in Belgium and France. He sees the project’s characters as reflecting a generation that expresses anger but also channels it into videos, music, images and humor.
“6TM” is currently in development, with filming planned for July 2027. The project is produced by Walid Bekhti and Hanoulia Salamé for Centre Vidéo de Bruxelles in Belgium, with support from the Wallonia-Brussels Federation, Groupe Ouest and the New Dawn Fund.
Sources: Variety.