Biography

Joz Van Liempt was born on December 23, 1916 in Pontardawe, Wales, UK. Joz was a writer, known for De klucht van de brave moordenaar (1956). Joz died on June 29, 2007 in Antwerpen, Flanders, Belgium.

In 1959, Van Liempt became responsible for the acquisition and scheduling of films and television series there. Following the split of the public broadcasting service in 1960, this role was with the Flemish BRT. He also played a key role in establishing various film programs or segments, such as *Première*. From 1975 until his retirement in 1981, he headed the BRT's Arts Department.

When discussions were underway in 1963–1964 regarding the establishment of a Belgian Film Institute, Van Liempt, following the example of television, advocated for a two-part structure divided by language. When this proposal fell on deaf ears, he developed a separate system of Flemish film support at the request of Renaat van Elslande, Minister of Dutch Culture. On November 14, 1964, the Royal Decree "for the promotion of Dutch-language film culture" was issued. Cultural film policy thus became the very first new area of jurisdiction to fall directly under Flemish rather than Belgian administration. From its establishment in 1964 until 1978, Van Liempt served as chairman of the Selection Committee for Cultural Films. In this capacity, he also promoted a co-production policy between Flanders and the Netherlands.

Joz van Liempt was a pivotal figure in the post-war Flemish film world. Through his activities in film criticism, the Catholic film movement, television, and film policy, he strove for the cultural autonomy of the Flemish film sector.

In 1946, he took over the leadership of DOCIP (Documentation Centre for the Film Press) from the Dominican film priest Felix Morlion, and in 1955 he helped found the magazine "Film & Televisie", becoming its editor-in-chief.

Van Liempt obtained his teaching qualification in 1935. Following military service, mobilization, and a period as a prisoner of war, he studied at the Higher Institute of Education in Antwerp, where he earned his diploma in 1943. From that year onwards, he was active in the clandestine Catholic Film Committee, which was preparing a Christian film movement in anticipation of the liberation.