Felix van Groeningen (Dutch: [ˈfeːlɪks fɑŋ ˈɣrunɪŋə(n)]; born 1 November 1977) is a Belgian film director and screenwriter. He is known for The Broken Circle Breakdown (2012) and Belgica (2016), with the former being nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at the 86th Academy Awards. He made his English-language debut with the biographical drama Beautiful Boy (2018) and was awarded with the Cannes Film Festival Jury Prize for The Eight Mountains (2022).
Felix van Groeningen | |
|---|---|
 Van Groeningen at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival in July 2016. | |
| Born | 1 November 1977 Ghent, Belgium |
| Nationality | Belgian |
| Alma mater | Royal Academy of Fine Arts (KASK) |
| Occupation | Filmmaker |
| Years active | 2000–present |
| Partner | Charlotte Vandermeersch |
| Children | 1 |
Personal life
editVan Groeningen was born in Ghent. His parents were hippies who led a very liberal lifestyle. He has an older brother, Seppe. After his parents' divorce, they lived in the same house, but each with a new partner.[1] His father started a live music club 'The Charlatan' when he was twelve-years-old, which became the inspiration for his film Belgica.[2] He studied at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts (KASK) and graduated in 2000 with a Masters of Audiovisual Arts, his masters thesis was the short film 50CC.[3][4] He and Belgian actress Charlotte Vandermeersch have a son, Rufus, who was born in 2018.[5]
Career
editAfter graduating from college, van Groeningen directed several short films, and written and directed several stage plays.[6] He embarked on a long-term collaboration with Dirk Impens, originally his professor at KASK,[6] who produced all five of Van Groeningen's feature films from 2004 to 2016 under his production company Menuet. Impens announced he was closing down Menuet in July 2017.[7]
Feature films
editSteve + Sky and With Friends Like These
editVan Groeningen made his directorial debut with Steve + Sky (2004), which depicts a romance between a drug dealer and a prostitute, and starred Titus De Voogdt and Delfine Bafort in the titular roles. Van Groeningen later said the film "was about realizing that you're not invincible or immortal" after having an epiphany at age 23 when his father died due to complications with a liver transplant and he lost a close friend to cancer.[8] His second feature, With Friends Like These (Dutch: Dagen zonder lief) (2007), was a comedy which tells the story of a struggling group of twenty-year-olds whose lives get thrown into limbo when their friend returns from New York.
The Misfortunates
editHis third feature film, The Misfortunates (Dutch: De Helaasheid der Dingen) (2009), was a film adaptation the 2006 semi-autobiographical novel of the same name by Dimitri Verhulst.[9] The film follows the life of the thirteen-year-old protagonist, Gunther, who is raised by a family of alcoholics and misfits as he grows up and dreams of being a writer.[10] The film premiered at Cannes Film Festival in the Director's Fortnight section and won the Prix Art et Essai.[11] The film was a box office success in Belgium with 454,435 admissions to cinemas, and was the most watched Flemish film that year in Belgium.[12] The film was selected as the Belgian entry for Best Foreign Language Film at the 82nd Academy Awards.[13]
The Broken Circle Breakdown
editHis fourth feature film, The Broken Circle Breakdown (2012), starred Johan Heldenbergh and Veerle Baetens as Didier and Elise, a bohemian couple that loses their daughter to cancer.[6] It is an adaptation of a stage play originally written and directed by Heldenbergh. The film was a critical and commercial success, and became the most watched Flemish film in Belgium of the year.[12][14] The film was selected as the Belgian entry for Best Foreign Language Film at the 86th Academy Awards,[15][16] and was on the nominated shortlist.[17] He was invited to become a member of Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in 2014.[18]
Belgica
editHis fifth feature film, Belgica (2016), follows the lives of two brothers who start a nightclub but quickly gets swept up in hedonistic pursuits. The film was based upon two real-life brothers who bought 'The Charlatan', a music club owned by his father, in 2000 and managed it for seven years.[2] The film premiered at Sundance Film Festival where he won the Best Director prize in the World Cinema Dramatic section.[19] The film received mixed reviews from critics but was praised for the soundtrack created by the Flemish band Soulwax, who had previously collaborated with Van Groeningen on Steve + Sky.[20]
Beautiful Boy
editVan Groeningen made his English-language debut with the film Beautiful Boy (2018), which he directed and co-wrote, and which stars Steve Carell and Timothée Chalamet.[5]
Filmography
editFeature films
edit| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Steve + Sky | Yes | Yes | Feature directorial debut |
| 2007 | With Friends Like These | Yes | Yes | |
| 2009 | The Misfortunates | Yes | Yes | |
| 2012 | The Broken Circle Breakdown | Yes | Yes | César Award for Best Foreign Film Satellite Award for Best Foreign Language Film 2013 Lux Prize Nominated—Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film Nominated—European Film Award for Best Film Nominated—European Film Award for Best Director Nominated—European Film Award for Best Screenwriter |
| 2016 | Belgica | Yes | Yes | Magritte Award for Best Flemish Film Nominated—Lumières Award for Best French-Language Film |
| 2018 | Beautiful Boy | Yes | Yes | English-language debut Co-screenwriter with Luke Davies |
| 2022 | The Eight Mountains | Yes | Yes | Jury Prize (Cannes Film Festival) David di Donatello for Best Film David di Donatello for Best Adapted Screenplay Nominated—David di Donatello for Best Director Italian-language debut Co-director with Charlotte Vandermeersch Co-screenwriter with Charlotte Vandermeersch |
Frequent collaborators
editWork Actor |
2004 | 2007 | 2009 | 2012 | 2016 | 2018 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wine Dierickx | |||||||
| Johan Heldenbergh | |||||||
| Titus De Voogdt | |||||||
| Charlotte Vandermeersch | |||||||
| Koen De Graeve | |||||||
| Robbie Cleiren | |||||||
| Yves Degryse | |||||||
| Sara De Bosschere | |||||||
| Nils De Caster | |||||||
| Dominique Van Malder |
References
edit- ^ Lesage, Friedl' (29 February 2016). "Mijn ouders waren (net geen) hippies". Touché (podcast). Retrieved 19 June 2018.
- ^ a b Fragoso, Sam. "BROKEN CIRCLE BREAKDOWN DIRECTOR FELIX VAN GROENINGEN TALKS HIS SUNDANCE BREAKOUT BELGICA". Tribeca Film Festival. Archived from the original on 18 June 2018. Retrieved 18 June 2018.
- ^ McCracken, Kristin (9 October 2013). "Q&A: Felix van Groeningen on The Broken Circle Breakdown". Hamptons International Film Festival. Retrieved 19 June 2018.
- ^ "Alte Liebe — der Freitag". Der Freitag (in German). Retrieved 19 June 2018.
- ^ a b Devos, Thalisa; Ceulemans, Ewoud (15 June 2018). "Felix Van Groeningen: "In Hollywood mag je niet laten merken dat je twijfelt, anders ben je dood"". De Morgen (in Dutch). Retrieved 16 June 2018.
- ^ a b c "The Broken Circle Breakdown - The Match Factory". The Match Factory. Retrieved 19 June 2018.
- ^ Macnab, Geoffrey (17 July 2017). "'Broken Circle Breakdown' producer Dirk Impens to quit film business". Screen Daily. Retrieved 19 June 2018.
- ^ Ehrlich, David (31 October 2013). "DIRECTOR'S CUT: FELIX VAN GROENINGEN ('THE BROKEN CIRCLE BREAKDOWN')". MTV News. Archived from the original on 18 June 2018. Retrieved 18 June 2018.
- ^ Dargis, Manohla (8 April 2010). "A Family Lives to Drink, and, Yes, Drinks to Live". The New York Times. Retrieved 19 June 2018.
- ^ "The Misfortunates | Menuet & IDTV Film presents: The Misfortunates, a film by Felix van Groeningen". Archived from the original on 8 March 2012. Retrieved 19 June 2018.
- ^ ""Misfortunates" win in Cannes". Vlaamse Radio- en Televisieomroep. 23 May 2009. Retrieved 20 January 2010.
- ^ a b "'The Broken Circle Breakdown' in top ten most viewed Flemish films". Het Nieuwsblad. 11 December 2012. Retrieved 19 June 2018.
- ^ Leffler, Rebecca (21 September 2009). "Belgium backs 'Misfortunates' for Oscar". The Hollywood Reporter. Associated Press. Retrieved 19 June 2018.
- ^ "The Broken Circle Breakdown (2013)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 19 June 2018.
- ^ "The Broken Circle Breakdown represents Belgium at Foreign Language Oscars". Flanders Image. Archived from the original on 17 June 2015. Retrieved 23 September 2013.
- ^ "Oscars: Belgium Nominates 'The Broken Circle Breakdown' for Foreign Language Category". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 24 September 2013.
- ^ "Oscars: Main nominations 2014". BBC News. Retrieved 16 January 2014.
- ^ Belga (26 June 2014). "Felix Van Groeningen mag lid worden van Oscar-Academy". De Morgen. Retrieved 17 June 2018.
- ^ "2016 Sundance Film Festival Award Winners" (PDF). Sundance Film Festival. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 December 2021. Retrieved 19 June 2018.
- ^ McCarthy, Todd (21 January 2016). "'Belgica': Sundance Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 19 June 2018.