ABSTRACT
This chapter on the relationship between media, sports and nationalism discusses the significant role of non-fiction sports films in interwar Flanders, the northern part of Belgium. As a case study, this chapter concentrates on the long series of successful sports and cycling films produced by the Flemish political activist and filmmaker Clemens De Landtsheer (1894–1984) and his Flandria Film company. The contribution argues that De Landtsheer’s films exploited the myth of the flandriens, or successful Flemish cyclists who were portrayed as strong heroic figures who combined willpower with courage, perseverance and sporting success. The sports films boosted the public image of the flandriens and their relation to a ‘banal’ Flemish nationalist ideology. This chapter, which is inspired by a constructivist perspective in theories on nationalism and identity, argues for the importance of cinema for the imaginary construction of collective identities and nationalities.
