Ellen Van Kempem is a Belgian film and television director. She is best known for her work on the Belgian feature films 'We Can't Go Home Again' and 'The Attack of the Killer Bee'.
Van Kempem was born in Antwerp in 1973. She grew up in Brussels, where her mother worked as a nurse and her father was a civil servant. From an early age, Van Kempem showed a strong interest in film. She attended the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp, where she studied film and television. She graduated in 1999 with her first short film, 'The Attack of the Killer Bee'.
Van Kempem quickly established herself as an up-and-coming director, with her first feature film 'We Can't Go Home Again' premiering at the Cannes Film Festival in 2004. The film was a critical success, winning several awards and garnering international attention.
Van Kempem continued to work in television and film, directing episodes of popular Belgian series such as 'Flikken' and 'De Dag'. She directed her second feature film 'The Last Resort' in 2013, and it was well-received by critics and audiences alike.
In 2016, Van Kempem directed her first feature-length documentary, 'The Wound'. The film explores the impact of the war in Congo on the lives of its citizens. It was nominated for the prestigious European Documentary Film Award and won the Best Documentary Award at the Nederlands Film Festival.
Van Kempem is currently working on her third feature-length film, 'The Promise'. The film tells the story of a young woman who returns to her home country of Congo after a long absence.
Van Kempem has become one of the most acclaimed and respected directors in Belgium. Her films have won numerous awards and have been screened at festivals around the world. She is a strong advocate for female directors and is a role model for aspiring filmmakers.
