Biography

Emile Degelin was born in 1926 in Diest, Belgium. Degelin spent his younger years doing photography. He went to the Ecole Nationale de Cinématographie in Paris to study. He achieved great distinction. Then he did internship in London at Arthur Elton and John Greerson, making Documentary films. Also, he was assistant at J. Guillermin and P. Leecock in Long feature films. Degelin did later internship at Actors Studio in New York and at Barrandow Studios in Prague. Since 1952, Degelin was a film director, scenarios, mechanic and producer. In 1962, he founded (and became co-coordinator of) the film department at the Rijksinstituut voor Toneel- en Cultuurpreidingstechnieken (RITCS) in Brussels, where he studied film and film director until 1992. He represented the RITCS at the International Congresses of the Cilect (Center International of the Cinoles of Cinema and the Télévision) in Tokyo and Mexico.

From 1981 to 1991 he was also a film actor at the Studio Herman Teirlinck in Antwerp. He has written novels since 1982.

In 1953 he married the French-speaking romance Jacqueline Harpman. This marriage ended in 1962, after which he married in 1963 with Angela Schlottke, with whom he has three children (Philippe, Muriel and David).

In May, 2017, Degelin died peacefully.
- IMDb mini biography by: Filmography

His 1963 film Life and Death in Flanders was entered into the 13th Berlin International Film Festival.

He is seen as one of the pioneers and founders of the Belgian film.

His final film, De ooggetuige, won the audience prize at the Ghent Film Festival in 1995.