# Vincent Bal

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{{Short description|Belgian film director}}
{{use dmy dates|date=April 2021}}

'''Vincent Bal''' (born 25 February 1971) is a Belgian filmmaker and visual artist widely known for his artwork based around shadows cast by everyday objects. As a writer and director he is best known for ''[Miss Minoes](/source/Miss_Minoes)'' (2001), ''[The Zigzag Kid](/source/The_Zigzag_Kid)'' (2012), ''[Belgian Rhapsody](/source/Belgian_Rhapsody)'' (2014), and ''The Bloody Olive'' (1997).

== Early life and education ==
Bal was born on 25 February 1971 in [Ghent](/source/Ghent), Belgium. His mother is [Eva Bal](/source/Eva_Bal), a [Dutch](/source/Kingdom_of_the_Netherlands) [theater director](/source/Theatre_director), pioneer in the youth theater domain.<ref>{{Cite web |date=May 10, 2021 |title=Pionier van Gentse jeugdtheater Eva Bal (82) overleden |url=https://www.nieuwsblad.be/cnt/dmf20210510_92954788 |website=[Nieuwsblad](/source/Nieuwsblad)}}</ref> He studied film directing at the [Hogeschool Sint-Lukas Brussel](/source/LUCA_School_of_Arts).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://artpeople.net/2016/11/vincent-bal-turns-shadows-illustrations/|title=Vincent Bal Turns Shadows To Illustrations|website=Art People|date=21 November 2016 |access-date=12 April 2021|language=nl}}</ref>

== Career ==

=== Film ===
In the third year of his film degree, Bal directed the short film {{Lang|nl|Aan Zee}} (1993), which was selected for several festivals. He graduated in 1994 with the short film ''Tour de France'' (1994) which won several awards, including the Canal+ Award at [the Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival](/source/Clermont-Ferrand_International_Short_Film_Festival) and Best Short Film at the Dresden Film Festival. After graduation, he directed ''The Bloody Olive'' (1997), a [film noir](/source/film_noir) spoof based on a comic book by [Lewis Trondheim](/source/Lewis_Trondheim). In 1999, he directed {{Lang|nl|Man Van Staal}} (Man of Steel), which won the International Jury Prize at the 2000 Berlin Kinderfilmfest.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Vincent Bal - BIO|url=https://www.vincentbal.com/bio/index.php|access-date=2021-04-09|website=www.vincentbal.com}}</ref> In 2012 he directed ''[The Zigzag Kid](/source/The_Zigzag_Kid)'' (also titled ''Nono, the Zigzag Kid''), a family [adventure film](/source/adventure_film) starring Thomas Simon (as the title character) and [Isabella Rossellini](/source/Isabella_Rossellini). The film is based on the novel of the same name by [David Grossman](/source/David_Grossman).

==== Filmography ====

* ''Sea Shadow'' (2020): short, director/writer
* ''Stranger'' (2017): documentary featurette, co-director
* ''[Belgian Rhapsody](/source/Belgian_Rhapsody)'' (2014): feature, director/co-writer
* ''[The Zigzag Kid](/source/The_Zigzag_Kid)'' (2012): feature, director/co-screenwriter
* ''Kika & Bob'' (2007–2008, 2014): animated TV series, co-Creator/writer/director
* ''[Miss Minoes](/source/Miss_Minoes)'' (2001): feature, director/co-screenwriter
* {{Lang|nl|Man van staal}} (1999): feature, director/writer
* {{Lang|fr|Joli môme}} ''(1997): s''hort, director/co-writer
* ''The Bloody Olive'' (1996): short, director/screenwriter
* ''Tour de France'' (1994): short, director/writer
* {{Lang|nl|Aan zee}} (1993): short, director/writer

=== Illustration ===
Bal is known for his shadow art illustrations, made by combining shadows cast from everyday objects with hand-drawn doodles. He began his ongoing "Shadowology" series in 2016 when he challenged himself to make a shadow doodle every day. On where the inspiration for the series came from, Bal says:<blockquote>"Like all good things in life, it came by accident. I was working on a film script (for a film that is never made) when I noticed how the shadow of my teacup looked a bit like an elephant. I gave the shadow animal eyes and a smile, and took a picture. When I shared it on social media, the reactions were really nice, so I decided to try and make one every day. That was may 2016 and I haven't stopped since."<ref>{{Cite web|last=feeldesain|date=2018-06-18|title=8 Questions With Vincent Bal aka Shadowology|url=https://www.feeldesain.com/vincent-bal-shadowlogy.html|access-date=2021-04-09|website=Feel Desain {{!}} your daily dose of creativity|language=it-IT}}</ref></blockquote>Bal is currently working on the Shadowology live-action film that incorporates his shadow drawings<ref>{{Cite web|date=2019-04-15|title=Artist Turns Shadows from Everyday Objects into a Cast of Playful Characters|url=https://mymodernmet.com/shadow-art-vincent-bal/|access-date=2021-04-09|website=My Modern Met|language=en}}</ref> and also has a published book of his illustrations by the same name.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Bal|first=Vincent|title=Shadowology|date=2019|others=Birgit Erdmann, mixtvision Mediengesellschaft mbH|isbn=978-3-95854-143-6|location=München|oclc=1091370650}}</ref>

== Awards ==
Source:<ref>{{Cite web|title=Vincent Bal|url=http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0049294/awards|access-date=2021-04-09|website=IMDb}}</ref>

'''Algarve International Film Festival'''
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Year
!Nomination Category
!Film
!Result
|-
|1998
|Grand Prize of the City of Portimão
|The Bloody Olive (1997)
|Nominated
|}
'''[Berlin International Film Festival](/source/Berlin_International_Film_Festival)'''
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Year
!Nomination Category
!Film
!Result
|-
|2000
|Deutsches Kinderhilfswerk Grand Prix
|Man van staal (1999)
''Tied with Tsatsiki, Mum and the Policeman (1999)''
|Winner
|}
['''Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival (BIFFF)'''](/source/Brussels_International_Fantastic_Film_Festival)
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Year
!Nomination Category
!Film
!Result
|-
| rowspan="2" |1998
|Audience Award for Best Short Film
|The Bloody Olive (1997)
|Winner
|-
|Canal+ Belgique Award
|The Bloody Olive (1997)
|Winner
|}
'''[Chicago International Children's Film Festival](/source/Chicago_International_Children's_Film_Festival)'''
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Year
!Nomination Category
!Film
!Result
|-
|2002
|Children's Jury Award
|Minoes (2001)
|Winner
|}
'''[Children KinoFest](/source/Children_KinoFest)'''
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Year
!Nomination Category
!Film
!Result
|-
|2014
|Grand Prize
|Non, het Zigzag Kind (2012)
|Nominated
|}
'''[Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival](/source/Clermont-Ferrand_International_Short_Film_Festival)'''
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Year
!Nomination Category
!Film
!Result
|-
|1997
|Grand Prix
|The Bloody Olive (1997)
|Nominated
|-
|1995
|Canal+ Award
|Tour de France (1995)
|Winner
|}
'''Dresden Film Festival'''
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Year
!Nomination Category
!Film
!Result
|-
|1997
|Youth Jury Award
|The Bloody Olive (1997)
|Winner
|-
|1995
|Best Short Film
|Tour de France (1995)
|Winner
|}
'''[European Film Awards](/source/European_Film_Awards)'''
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Year
!Nomination Category
!Film
!Result
|-
|2013
|Young Audience Award
|Nono, het Zigzag Kind (2012)
|Winner
|}
'''[Magritte Awards](/source/Magritte_Awards)'''
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Year
!Nomination Category
!Film
!Result
|-
|2016
|Magritte Award
|Brabançonne (2014)
|Nominated
|}
'''[Molodist International Film Festival](/source/Molodist_International_Film_Festival)'''
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Year
!Nomination Category
!Film
!Result
|-
|1997
|Best Film Award
|The Bloody Olive (1997)
|Nominated
|}
'''Montréal International Children's Film Festival'''
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Year
!Nomination Category
!Film
!Result
|-
|2013
|Audience Award
|Nono, het Zigzag Kind (2012)
|Winner
|}
'''Oulu International Children's Film Festival'''
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Year
!Nomination Category
!Film
!Result
|-
|2013
|Starboy Award
|Nono, het Zigzag Kind (2012)
|Nominated
|-
|2002
|Starboy Award
|Minoes (2001)
|Nominated
|}
'''[Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival](/source/Tallinn_Black_Nights_Film_Festival)'''
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Year
!Nomination Category
!Film
!Result
|-
| rowspan="2" |2013
|Just Film Award - Special Mention
|Nono, het Zigzag Kind (2020)
|Winner
|-
|Just Film Award
|Nono, het Zigzag Kind (2020)
|Nominated
|}
'''[Torino International Festival of Young Cinema](/source/Torino_International_Festival_of_Young_Cinema)'''
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Year
!Nomination Category
!Film
!Result
|-
|1995
|Prize of the City of Torino
|Tour de France (1995)
|Nominated
|}

== References ==
<references/>

== External links ==
* [https://www.vincentbal.com/ Official Website]
*{{IMDb name|0049294}}

{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bal, Vincent}}
Category:Living people
Category:1971 births
Category:Belgian filmmakers
Category:21st-century Belgian illustrators
Category:Artists from Ghent

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Vincent Bal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vincent_Bal) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vincent_Bal?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.
