Herman Van Eyken
- Producer
- Director
- Writer
Herman Van Eyken, graduated (magna cum laude) with a Masters Degree in
Audio Visual Arts in 1979 from the RITS national film school in
Brussels. He was subsequently granted an Italian Government fellowship
to study in Italy for three years, where he pursued further film
studies at the University of Rome (dir. Prof. Mario Verdone), and at
DAMS Dipartimento Arte, Musica e Spettacolo (dir. Prof. Umberto Eco) at
the University of Bologna. Van Eyken returned to Belgium, where, over
the course of 15 years, he directed more than 190 films (commercials,
corporate identity and institutional films, interactive film media,
creative documentaries, short feature fiction films, feature length
films on dance and opera, and one long feature fiction film). In all
these categories his films were represented in the shortlists and
competitions of the leading film festivals (Cannes, New York, Biarritz,
London, Stockholm, Vienna, Montreal, Lyon, etc.) Many of his films have
received top awards in their respective category. His long feature
fiction film has been released in more than 10 countries, among them
Australia, Canada, France, Italy and Taiwan. The film was screened in
30 International Film Festivals and won several major awards.
In 1990, he joined RITS, his alma mater, and served as a Professor in Film Directing (with a tenure track as a full time Professor). He has been invited as graduation jury member of other film schools (Sint Lucas), and the Ecole Nationale Superieure des Arts Visuels de la Cambre, Brussels.
He was for many years an elected member of the Board of Directors of SACD Belgium (Belgian Author's Association), the Belgian Screenwriter's Guild, the Belgian Film Director's Guild, the Brussels International Film Festival and Erasmushogeschool Brussels.
Over the years, he's been active in developing -sometimes-pioneering - workshops for film professionals in such fields as screenwriting, interactive writing and directing actors for film (with Prof. Delia Salvi - UCLA/Actor's Studio).
He has set up film student co-production workshops with international guests such as Dick Maas, Freddie Francis, Stuart Gordon, James B. Harris, Lewis Gilbert, Jos Stelling, John Hough and Jack Cardiff.
He has been invited to sit in or moderate panels (Asian Film Archive, Asia Film Financing Forum) and hold public interviews with Tim Robbins, Giuseppe Tornatore and Dennis Hopper. Van Eyken served as the first Erasmushogeschool Brussels delegate at CILECT (Centre International de Liaison des Ecoles de Cinema et Television). He was invited in 2002 as a visiting lecturer for 2 years at the School of Film and Media Studies, Ngee Ann Polytechnic in Singapore, where he taught advanced film production, advanced directing and screenwriting in the Polytechnic and Post Graduate Programmes. He returned to his alma mater, RITS, in 2004, as Project Chair for the International Association of Film Schools - CILECT, with the project: Master Class- LESSONS IN FILM (Kim Longinotto, Alain Vannier, Pierre Schoendoerffer, The Dardenne Brothers, Lord David Puttnam, Grant Major, Roberto Perpignani, Kiyoshi Kurosawa, Brian Tufano and Hou Hsiao Hsien).
Herman Van Eyken was recently asked to set up and develop Singapore's first film degree programme in an integrated arts campus at LASALLE, College of the Arts, where he was offered the position of Head of the Puttnam School of Film (Lord David Puttnam). In the field of research and innovation, he's been delivering specialised papers on Film Policies and Film Training Needs for Professionals for several international official bodies such as UNI-MEI (International Union Network), and ASEF (Asia Europe Foundation). In October 2006, he mentored the 5th Asia Europe Film Development Plan Meeting on Student Film Production in Tokyo. In December 2007, he was Keynote Chair and Moderator the Media Financing Forum at the 5th Asia Media Festival in Singapore. Apart being a film academic, film writer, film producer and film director, Van Eyken has also served as a jury member of many competitions in Europe (FIFEF, UIP, L'Age d'Or) and the Asia Pacific (Kodak), moreover at the 54th Locarno International Film Festival in 2001.
He's fluent in four languages: Dutch, French, English and Italian. He understands and reads German.
In 1990, he joined RITS, his alma mater, and served as a Professor in Film Directing (with a tenure track as a full time Professor). He has been invited as graduation jury member of other film schools (Sint Lucas), and the Ecole Nationale Superieure des Arts Visuels de la Cambre, Brussels.
He was for many years an elected member of the Board of Directors of SACD Belgium (Belgian Author's Association), the Belgian Screenwriter's Guild, the Belgian Film Director's Guild, the Brussels International Film Festival and Erasmushogeschool Brussels.
Over the years, he's been active in developing -sometimes-pioneering - workshops for film professionals in such fields as screenwriting, interactive writing and directing actors for film (with Prof. Delia Salvi - UCLA/Actor's Studio).
He has set up film student co-production workshops with international guests such as Dick Maas, Freddie Francis, Stuart Gordon, James B. Harris, Lewis Gilbert, Jos Stelling, John Hough and Jack Cardiff.
He has been invited to sit in or moderate panels (Asian Film Archive, Asia Film Financing Forum) and hold public interviews with Tim Robbins, Giuseppe Tornatore and Dennis Hopper. Van Eyken served as the first Erasmushogeschool Brussels delegate at CILECT (Centre International de Liaison des Ecoles de Cinema et Television). He was invited in 2002 as a visiting lecturer for 2 years at the School of Film and Media Studies, Ngee Ann Polytechnic in Singapore, where he taught advanced film production, advanced directing and screenwriting in the Polytechnic and Post Graduate Programmes. He returned to his alma mater, RITS, in 2004, as Project Chair for the International Association of Film Schools - CILECT, with the project: Master Class- LESSONS IN FILM (Kim Longinotto, Alain Vannier, Pierre Schoendoerffer, The Dardenne Brothers, Lord David Puttnam, Grant Major, Roberto Perpignani, Kiyoshi Kurosawa, Brian Tufano and Hou Hsiao Hsien).
Herman Van Eyken was recently asked to set up and develop Singapore's first film degree programme in an integrated arts campus at LASALLE, College of the Arts, where he was offered the position of Head of the Puttnam School of Film (Lord David Puttnam). In the field of research and innovation, he's been delivering specialised papers on Film Policies and Film Training Needs for Professionals for several international official bodies such as UNI-MEI (International Union Network), and ASEF (Asia Europe Foundation). In October 2006, he mentored the 5th Asia Europe Film Development Plan Meeting on Student Film Production in Tokyo. In December 2007, he was Keynote Chair and Moderator the Media Financing Forum at the 5th Asia Media Festival in Singapore. Apart being a film academic, film writer, film producer and film director, Van Eyken has also served as a jury member of many competitions in Europe (FIFEF, UIP, L'Age d'Or) and the Asia Pacific (Kodak), moreover at the 54th Locarno International Film Festival in 2001.
He's fluent in four languages: Dutch, French, English and Italian. He understands and reads German.
