Mutter Courage, the political masterpiece by Bertolt Brecht (1898-1956), is set in the 17th century during the Thirty Years’ War. The play follows the fortunes of Anna Fierling, nicknamed ‘Mother Courage’. She wants to make her living from the war that involved all the German states, France and Sweden. Brecht wrote the play in resistance to the rise of fascism and nazism. In 1961, the great anti-war play was adapted for the screen with Brecht’s widow, Helene Weigel in the title role.

Wouter Hessels studied Romance languages & literatures, philosophy and audiovisual and dramatic arts in Antwerp and Brussels. Since 1995 he teaches film and media history at RITCS (Royal Institute for Theatre, Cinema & Sound) in Brussels and film analysis at INSAS (Institut National Supérieur des Arts du Spectacle) in Brussels and at the Royal Academy for Fine Arts in Antwerp. From 2006 to 2011, he was a visiting professor film history at the Baltic Film, Media & Arts School (Tallinn University in Estonia) and from 2020-2022 visiting professor at the ULB (Free Universtity of Brussels). He has been teaching in Paris, Rome, Amsterdam, Berlin, Bologna, Prague, Istanbul, Rio de Janeiro, Capetown. In 2011-2012, he was director and curator of The Royal Belgian Film Archive (Cinematek) and now he works as a film curator for Gaasbeek Castle. He writes essays and opinion articles on art, film, media, politics and education. Wouter writes and performs poetry in Dutch, French, English and Italian. His life motto is “Long live life, love and the arts”.