Jaco Van Dormael

Jaco Van Dormael (born 9 February 1957) is a Belgian film director, screenwriter and playwright. Regarded as one of the most distinctive voices in contemporary European cinema, he is known for his narrative experimentation, blending elements of realism and fantasy while exploring the human condition.

Van Dormael spent his childhood travelling around Europe, before going on to study filmmaking at the Institut supérieur des arts in Brussels. After receiving a Student Academy Award for the short film Maedeli the Breach (1981), he made his feature-length debut with Toto the Hero (1991), which won the Caméra d'Or at Cannes. His next film, The Eighth Day (1996), garnered box office success and broadened his international profile. He further consolidated his status with the science fiction drama Mr. Nobody (2009), his first English-language film, and the satirical fantasy The Brand New Testament (2015), both of which earned him Magritte Awards for Best Director.

In addition to his work in cinema, Van Dormael has been active in theatre with his long-time partner Michèle Anne De Mey, combining live performance with visual storytelling techniques similar to his films. He frequently collaborated with his late brother Pierre Van Dormael, who scored several of his films.