King of the Belgians is a 2016 mockumentary comedy film produced, written and directed by Peter Brosens and Jessica Woodworth. It premiered in the Horizons section at the 73rd edition of the Venice Film Festival. It received five nominations at the 8th Magritte Awards, including Best Flemish Film. Its sequel, The Barefoot Emperor, premiered at the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival.
Plot
While Nicolas III, King of the Belgians, is doing an official visit to Istanbul, breaking news arrives: Wallonia just declared its independence and so Belgium doesn't exist any more. In order to face the political crisis, Nicolas III decides to quickly come back home, but due to a geomagnetic storm all the flights are blocked. Therefore, the King and his staff decide to try to reach Belgium overland, but this becomes very difficult. The hard trip becomes not only a desperate (and comical) travel across the Balkans, but also an inner trip where Nicolas III tries to understand who he really is.