Biography

Wannes Destoop (°1985) is a Belgian director and screenwriter.

His graduation film Swimsuit 46 was selected for the Cannes Film Festival in 2011, where it received the Jury Prize. This marked the beginning of an impressive festival career with over 70 selections and 15 awards worldwide.

His next short film, Billy the Bully (2015), won the award for Best Film at the Amiens International Film Festival. He later created the tragicomic television series Albatros (2020), which received unanimous four-star reviews, won the Prix Europa, and was sold internationally - even to the American network PBS.

In 2024, Destoop made his long-awaited feature film debut with Holy Rosita, which opened the Ostend Film Festival. The film received awards both in Belgium and abroad, most notably Best Feature Film at the prestigious Torino Film Festival. That same year, Ferry 2 was also released - a Netflix Original that was viewed millions of times worldwide.

Destoop’s work is characterized by socially engaged themes and a strong focus on people whose voices are often unheard. His style combines social realism with a poetic visual language, in which humor and melancholy intertwine.
- IMDb mini biography by: Anonymous