Vincent Bal (born 25 February 1971) is a Belgian filmmaker and visual artist widely known for his artwork based around shadows cast by everyday objects. As a writer and director he is best known for ''

Miss Minoes ''Miss Minoes'' ( nl, Minoes) is a 2001 Dutch film, based on the children's novel '' Minoes'' by Annie M.G. Schmidt. The film won the Golden Calves for Best Feature Film and Best Actress (Carice van Houten). Plot One night, a cat named Minoes ...

'' (2001), '' The Zigzag Kid'' (2012), '' Belgian Rhapsody'' (2014), and ''The Bloody Olive'' (1997).

Early life and education

Bal was born on 25 February 1971 in

Ghent Ghent ( nl, Gent ; french: Gand ; traditional English: Gaunt) is a city and a municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of the East Flanders province, and the third largest in the country, exceeded in ...

, Belgium. He studied film directing at the

Hogeschool Sint-Lukas Brussel Hogeschool Sint-Lukas Brussel, based in the Schaerbeek municipality of Brussels, Belgium, is an independent flemish art school. It is a predominantly Dutch-speaking institution located on the Paleizenstraat/Rue de Palais, and at another site, withi ...

Career

Film

In the third year of his film degree, Bal directed the short film (1993), which was selected for several festivals. He graduated in 1994 with the short film ''Tour de France'' (1994) which won several awards, including the Canal+ Award at the Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival and Best Short Film at the Dresden Film Festival. After graduation, he directed ''The Bloody Olive'' (1997), a

film noir Film noir (; ) is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and motivations. The 1940s and 1950s are generally regarded as the "classic period" of American ' ...

spoof based on a comic book by

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. In 1999, he directed (Man of Steel), which won the International Jury Prize at the 2000 Berlin Kinderfilmfest. In 2012 he directed '' The Zigzag Kid'' (also titled ''Nono, the Zigzag Kid''), a family

adventure film An adventure film is a form of adventure fiction, and is a genre of film. Subgenres of adventure films include swashbuckler films, pirate films, and survival films. Adventure films may also be combined with other film genres such as action, an ...

starring Thomas Simon (as the title character) and

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. The film is based on the novel of the same name by

David Grossman David Grossman ( he, דויד גרוסמן; born January 25, 1954) is an Israeli author. His books have been translated into more than 30 languages. In 2018, he was awarded the Israel Prize for literature. Biography David Grossman was born i ...

Filmography

* ''Sea Shadow'' (2020): short, director/writer * ''Stranger'' (2017): documentary featurette, co-director * '' Belgian Rhapsody'' (2014): feature, director/co-writer * '' The Zigzag Kid'' (2012): feature, director/co-screenwriter * ''Kika & Bob'' (2007–2008, 2014): animated TV series, co-Creator/writer/director * ''

'' (2001): feature, director/co-screenwriter * (1999): feature, director/writer * ''(1997): s''hort, director/co-writer * ''The Bloody Olive'' (1996): short, director/screenwriter * ''Tour de France'' (1994): short, director/writer * (1993): short, director/writer

Illustration

Bal is known for his shadow art illustrations, made by combining shadows cast from everyday objects with hand-drawn doodles. He began his ongoing “Shadowology” series in 2016 when he challenged himself to make a shadow doodle every day. On where the inspiration for the series came from, Bal says:

"Like all good things in life, it came by accident. I was working on a film script (for a film that is never made) when I noticed how the shadow of my teacup looked a bit like an elephant. I gave the shadow animal eyes and a smile, and took a picture. When I shared it on social media, the reactions were really nice, so I decided to try and make one every day. That was may 2016 and I haven’t stopped since."

Bal is currently working on the Shadowology live-action film that incorporates his shadow drawings and also has a published book of his illustrations by the same name.

Awards

Algarve International Film Festival

Berlin International Film Festival The Berlin International Film Festival (german: Internationale Filmfestspiele Berlin), usually called the Berlinale (), is a major international film festival held annually in Berlin, Germany. Founded in 1951 and originally run in June, the festi ...

Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival (BIFFF)

Chicago International Children's Film Festival In 1983, Facets Multi-Media founded the Chicago International Children's Film Festival (CICFF), the first competitive festival of films for children in the U.S. The impetus for the Festival came from a need to introduce new, culturally diverse fil ...

Children KinoFest Children KinoFest (Ukrainian: Чілдрен Кінофест) is an annual international film festival for children and teenagers, founded in Kyiv, Ukraine in 2014. The festival takes place at the end of May and is held in various Ukrainian cities ...

Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival The Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival (French: ''Festival international du court métrage de Clermont-Ferrand'') is an international film festival dedicated to short films held annually in Clermont-Ferrand, France. History I ...

Dresden Film Festival

European Film Awards The European Film Awards (or European Film Academy Awards) have been presented annually since 1988 by the European Film Academy to recognize excellence in European cinematic achievements. The awards are given in 19 categories, of which the most ...

Magritte Awards A Magritte Award (french: ) is an accolade presented by the Académie André Delvaux of Belgium to recognize cinematic achievement in the film industry. Modelled after the French César Award, the formal ceremony at which the awards are presented ...

Molodist International Film Festival Montréal International Children's Film Festival Oulu International Children's Film Festival

Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival, or PÖFF ( et, Pimedate Ööde Filmifestival), is an annual film festival held since 1997 in Tallinn, the capital city of Estonia. PÖFF is the only festival in Northern Europe or the Baltic region with a FIA ...

Torino International Festival of Young Cinema The Torino Film Festival (also called the Turin Film Festival, TFF) is an international film festival held annually in Turin, Italy. Held every November, it is the second largest film festival in Italy, following the Venice Film Festival. It was f ...

References

External Links

Official Website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bal, Vincent Living people 1971 births Belgian filmmakers Belgian illustrators Artists from Ghent