Nicolas Keppens | |
|---|---|
| Born | July 5, 1989 |
| Citizenship | Belgian |
| Occupation | Film director |
| Known for | Beautiful Men Easter Eggs |
| Awards | European Film Award for Best Short Film |
Nicolas Keppens is an Oscar-nominated film director and artist born in Aalst, Belgium. [1] He is mostly known for his Oscars-shortlisted film Beautiful Men (2023) [2] [3] and his award-winning short Easter Eggs (2021), an animated short film about finding extraordinary things in ordinary places. [4] [5]
Keppens first studied animation at KASK School of Arts in Ghent, graduating in 2012. He then obtained a film degree at the LUCA School of Arts in Brussels. [6] After his studies, Keppens first worked as a cleanup and in-between animator at Lunanime for Phantom Boy . From 2015 to 2021, he worked as production manager for the Hans Op de Beeck contemporary art studio. [6] Since 2021, Keppens has been an animation lecturer at the KASK School of Arts. [7]
Keppens' short films have received multiple awards at international film festivals, including the Award for Best Narrative Film at the 2024 Ottawa International Animation Festival, [14] the Best Belgian Short Film Award at the 2024 Anima Brussels Animation Festival [15] and the Alexeïeff - Parker Award at the 2024 Annecy International Animation Film Festival for the short film Beautiful Men (2023). [16]
With his short Easter Eggs (2021), Keppens won the Grand Prix at the 2021 Cinanima Festival [17] and the Jury Award at the 2021 Annecy International Animation Film Festival. [18]
His short film Wildebeest (2018), which he co-wrote and co-directed with Matthias Phlips, won the Best Film Award at the 2018 Fantoche International Animation Film Festival and was nominated for a European Film Award. [4]
On January 23rd, 2025, Keppens received his first Academy Award nomination with the film Beautiful Men (2023). [1]