Boudewijn Koole
Dutch film director
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Boudewijn Koole (born 1965) is a Dutch director and producer. He is mostly known for his drama film Kauwboy (2012).
Boudewijn Koole | |
|---|---|
 Boudewijn Koole in 2017 | |
| Born | 1965 (age 60–61) |
| Occupation | Film director |
Koole was born in Leiden in 1965 and spent his childhood in Nuenen, North Brabant. He studied at Delft University of Technology, where he earned a master’s degree in industrial design.[1] As a self-taught filmmaker, he began his career making documentaries for the Dutch television program Villa Achterwerk, broadcast by the VPRO.[2] Some of his most notable documentary works include Tommie (2000), In Belfast is a Wall (2001), Zooey (2004), and Gilliard (1996), which was nominated for an International Emmy Award.[3]
After several years of producing and directing documentaries, Koole expanded his repertoire to include fiction films. In 2012, he made his fiction feature debut with Kauwboy, which was a national and international success, was selected as the Dutch entry for the Academy Awards, and won the Best First Feature Award at the Berlin International Film Festival.[4] In 2016 he won the Dutch Award for Best Direction for Beyond Sleep (2016),[5] and the following year his film Disappearance (2017)[6] received the Cineuropa Award at the Les Arcs European Film Festival
The characters in his fiction films often explore existential and universal themes such as loss, fear, and death.[2] In an interview with CineSud, Koole stated that he is particularly interested in the parent-child relationship and the interplay between what originates from the individual and what is shaped by the environment.[7]
Witfilm: Creative producer and Co-founder
Koole is a co-founder of Witfilm (2006), a production company dedicated to innovative, artistically driven films together with Iris Lammertsma. Witfilm focuses on creative, social, and youth documentaries, as well as arthouse films. Under Koole’s leadership as creative producer, Witfilm has produced and co-produced films that have been nominated for and won awards,[8] including: - International Emmy Award (Arts Programming) for Dance or Die (2019)[9]
- Best Doc at Prix Europa 2021 for Shadow Game (2021)[10]
- Best Dutch Children's Film Award at CineKid for Liefjes (2024)[11]
- Best Short Documentary at Dutch Academy awards for Mijn Vader, Nour en ik (2023)[12]
- Best Documentary at IDFA for Dood in de Bijlmer (2020)[13]
Besides his producing work Koole also coaches’ filmmakers, nationally and internationally, in writing and directing.[14]
Filmography (Selection)
Upcoming projects
| Title[15] | Type | Status | Director | Producer | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tower Stories | Feature Film | Post-production | Peter Greenaway | Facing East Entertainment, Witfilm, Jumpy Cow Pictures, The Family. | https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7675204/ |
| Meis | Feature Film | Development | Boudewijn Koole | Witfilm, Kärnfilm, Umedia. | https://www.imdb.com/title/tt40642675/?ref_=nm_flmg_job_1_accord_1_unrel_cdt_t_1 |
Feature Films
| Year[15] | Title | Function | Type | Awards/Notes |
| 2024 | Hokwerda’s Child | Writer, Director & Producer | Feature film, 124 min | Adaptation of the novel by Oek de Jong. Screenplay and direction. Witfilm. |
| 2022 | Modern Love Amsterdam | Writer & Director | TV series episode | Amazon Original series. Screenplay and direction. NL Film. |
| 2017 | Disappearance | Director | Feature film, 80 min | Cineuropa Prize (Les Arcs), Best Film (French jury). |
| 2016 | Beyond Sleep | Writer & Director | Feature film, 90 min | Dutch Academy Award for Best Direction, opening film IFF Rotterdam. |
| 2012 | Kauwboy | Writer & Director | Feature film, 80 min | First Feature Award (Berlinale), European Discovery Award, numerous international awards. |
Documentaries
| Year[15] | Title | Type | Function | Awards/Notes |
| 2019 | Dance or Die | Documentary | Creative Producer | International Emmy Award (Arts Programming), Nomination Golden Rose Award |
| 2002 | Delusion | Documentary | Camera & Direction | On the necessity of imagination in schizophrenic patients. |
| 2001 | There is a Wall in Belfast | Documentary | Camera & Direction | Runner-up Golden Gate Festival San Francisco. |
| 1996 | Gilliard | Documentary | Direction | Runner up for the International Emmy Award. |
Awards and Nominations (Selection)
| Jaar[15] | Prijs | Festival | Film | Uitslag |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Audience Award | European Film Festival of Lecce | Disappearance | won |
| 2017 | Special Jury Award | European Film Festival of Lecce | Disappearance | won |
| 2017 | Award for special contribution for the northern cinema | Noordelijk Film Festival | Disappearance | won |
| 2017 | Cineuropa Award- best film by French Film Critics | Film Festival Les Arcs | Disappearance | won |
| 2017 | Screened | Film festival Toronto | Disappearance | selected |
| 2016 | Opening film | Rotterdam Film Festival | Beyond Sleep | selected |
| 2016 | Best Director | Dutch directors guild | Beyond Sleep | nominated |
| 2016 | Best Director | Dutch academy awards | Beyond Sleep | won |
| 2013 | Best short dance film- Audience Award | Cinedans | Off Ground | won |
| 2013 | Golden Calf | Dutch academy awards | Off Ground | nominated |
| 2012 | Award for best Youth Film | Berlinale | Kauwboy | won |
| 2012 | Best First Feature Award | Berlinale | Kauwboy | won |
| 2012 | Grand Prix of the Deutsches Kinderhilfswerk | Berlinale | Kauwboy | won |
| 2012 | European Discovery - Prix Fipresci | European Film Awards | Kauwboy | won |
| 2012 | Young audience award | European Film Awards | Kauwboy | won |
| 2014 | Golden Calf | Best Editing | Happily Ever After | won |
| 2007 | Golden Calf | Best television drama | Drawn Out Love | nominated |