Sabine Dardenne, 12, and Laetitia Delhez, 14, were freed following Dutrouxs arrest in August 1996.
Ive wanted to make a film inspired by the case for a long time.
It was symptomatic of a certain disorder and chaos that prevailed in Belgium at the time.
‘Maldoror’Sofie Gheysens
It took me time to find the right approach.
I needed to find an angle that was morally irreproachable.
In Hollywood, by twisting history for a different outcome.
Fabrice du WelzGetty Images
Ahead of being a cineaste, I am cinephile, says du Welz.
I was obsessed withOnce Upon A Time… With my co-writer Domenico La Porta, we read practically everything we get our hands on about the case.
Our documentation work was exhaustive.
The context had to be impeccable.
The faded, post-industrial feel of the once prosperous area is woven into the film.
Charleroi is a bit like Detroit.
It was one of the wealthiest cities in Europe in the 19th century because of the mines.
Its a strange, strange city but I love it as a place, says the director.
What happened in the 1990s still weighs heavily on the population.
This increased my vigilance and sense of responsibility.
Charleroi became one of the characters.
I wanted to make a film that the local people could feel proud of.
That was my main challenge, he says.
There was so much to say.
When two girls go missing he is assigned to a surveillance operation called Maldoror tracking potential suspects.
It gave a very human counterpoint since the film deals with unspeakable evil.
These rumors slowed down the pre-trial investigation, with it taking eight years to bring Dutroux to the dock.
Im first and foremost a filmmaker and its a fiction film.
In real-life, there were two theories, that of the online grid and that of the lone predator.
At the trial, the theory of the lone predator was upheld, he says.
But having examined some of the dossiers, its evident that a data pipe existed.
At the very least, there were three people involved in moving the kids around.
I dont know if there was a larger web link.
Im not a journalist or a conspiracy theorist.
The film is produced by BelgiumsFrakasProductions and Frances The Jokers Films and sold internationally byWTFilms.
The Dutroux Affair shook the Belgian constitution and profoundly impacted the Belgian people, he says.
I think people from my generation still have a lot of questions.
Is it a provocation?
Probably a bit, but thats healthy.
In the meantime, du Welz has been travelling with the film internationally.
Du Welz hopesMaldororwill be the first film in a trilogy exploring the darkest chapters of Belgian history.
Development on the second film is already under way.
The third film will examine collaboration between Belgians and Nazi Germany during WW2 on the Western Front.
At least thats my ambition, lets see how it pans out.
The main thing is that my way of thinking about and making films has changed.
