Young Hearts

Young Hearts (2024)

14-year-old Elias increasingly feels like an outsider in his village. When he meets his new neighbour of the same age, Alexander, Elias is confronted with his burgeoning sexuality.

Date of release
2024-10-26
TMDB
8.6 / 10 (334)
Runtime
1h 39m
Genres
Drama, Romance
Director
Anthony Schatteman

Casting

Interesting facts

  • Filmed in: Wetteren
  • Awards: 0 · Nominations: 2

Young Hearts is a 2024 Belgian-Dutch independent coming-of-age drama film written and directed by Anthony Schatteman in his feature directorial debut. The film tells the story of Elias, a boy who falls in love with his new neighbour, a boy of the same age named Alexander.

Production

Young Hearts is the debut directing feature film for Anthony Schatteman featuring Lou Goossens and Marius De Saeger in the main roles, with Geert Van Rampelberg, Emilie De Roo, and Dirk Van Dyck playing pivotal supporting roles. The film is produced by Polar Bear, in co-production with the Belgian Kwassa Films and the Dutch Family Affair Films.

The development of the film began in 2019 and spanned four years. Production of the film was first announced by Anthony Schatteman in a Facebook post on May 31, 2022. The production team spent six months scouting suitable filming locations. Open casting calls began on September 20, 2022, focusing on filling the main roles with boys aged 11 to 18.

During an interview with Amelia Stevenson for TresA Magazine on August 22, 2025, Goossens detailed the complex challenges he undertook to develop Elias' personality and intense inner struggles.

Filming commenced in August 2023 and was completed over a span of 28 days.

Read on Wikipedia · Text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Data from Wikidata.

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