Six-year-old Aatos and his friend Amine live in Molenbeek, known to most of the world from the news as a hotbed for Islamic terrorism in the heart of Brussels. But for the film’s main characters, Molenbeek is their childhood world, full of new adventures, ethnic and religious belonging, and a place where their mother-tongue is no impediment to friendship. In mischievous playfulness, the Gods of Molenbeek follows the tandem of the boys and the day-to-day of their friends growing up in this multi-cultural environment. The film triggers an acute desire to take stock of the pre-conceived notions and prejudices through which we shape our communities within virtual and very real borders.

“I wanted to portray the viewpoint of the children – how they reflect what grown-ups believe, and how they shape their own view of the world. Grown-ups are secondary. Most of all I was interested in how open my main characters were towards the world – that attests to the fact that multiculturalism can exist without dividing it into opposing camps,” states director Reetta Huhtanen.