To Unveil a Star

In his works, Dutch artist Juul Hondius reflects on the status and impact of media images and the ways in which they determine our collective memory. To Unveil A Star focuses on NATO, starting with an iconic monument: the large star-shaped steel sculpture that has stood in front of its Brussels headquarters since 1971. The film follows the preparations to move it to the organization’s new headquarters, and reveals the identity of its previously unknown author, Belgian sculptor Raymond Huybrechts. To Unveil A Star unfolds between reality and fiction, intertwining the personal story of the director with geopolitical themes, between reconstructed moments and archive videos of meetings, between NATO speeches and footage of demonstrations against nuclear weapons. In the film, the author attributes anthropomorphic qualities to this sculpture by asking direct questions, “Do we want to keep you as a symbol? Can we still identify with the ideology you represent? ”, placing reflection on a work of art at the center of what is generally a political-military debate.