The Best Belgian Short Films To Watch This Year

Not only is Belgium the home of great comic books and delicious chocolates, but the various short films it produces are works of art. Nominated, awarded, or just greatly appreciated, Culture Trip presents ten gems that are all pinnacles of Belgian entertainment.

Death of a Shadow/Dood van een Shaduw (2012)

Starring the very popular Matthias Schoenaerts and directed by Tom Van Avermaet, this film effortlessly plays with morbid themes. Schoenaerts plays a soldier who died during the First World War. Using a steampunk camera, he literally captures the shadows of other people in the moment they die. If he can gather 10,000 shadows, he’ll get a chance to live again. This film was nominated for the 2012 Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film.

Using only woolly fabric, this stop-motion looks like you could reach out and touch the soft décor. But the fluffiness stands in contrast to the story about death and grief. Willy returns to the nudist community he grew up in, to visit his dying mother. After she passes away, he travels through the woods alone to find himself. The most impressive part about this film is the technique. Directors Emma De Swaef and Marc James Roels bring life to stiff handmade puppets and put emotion in their little glass eyes.

Gridlock/Faits d’Hiver (2001)

In director Dirk Beliën‘s dark-humored short film, an impatient manager gets stuck in traffic on his way home. He uses his brand new cell phone to call his wife, only to speak with his daughter, who has some disturbing news for him.

Junkyard (2012)

This beautiful Dutch-Belgian animated short, directed by Hisko Hulsing, tells an unsettling story: the protagonist is robbed and stabbed by a junkie. In the last moments before his death, he remembers the close friendship he had when he was younger, only to drift apart after his friend got involved with a life of drugs and criminality.

La Nuit de l’Ours/The Night of the Bear (2012)

In only seven minutes, this short tells the story of a woman who lives on a deserted island. The perfect harmony she maintains with the island and the animals is disrupted when she finds a wounded hunter and decides to take care of him.

Tanghi Argentini (2006)

Guy Thys‘s short film from 2006 tells the story of a bored office clerk who is fascinated with tango. He enlists the help of a colleague to teach him the tango so he can impress his internet date. It was nominated for Best Short Film at the 80th Annual Academy Awards.

Flatlife (2004)

In this animation, four people live in an apartment building, and no matter what they do, they can’t help but annoy their neighbors. This short film received a Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival in 2004, even though it wasn’t finished and the first minute was broadcast without sound. Filmmaker Jonas Geirnaert spent two years on this project and drew all the images by hand. The entire animation is available on YouTube.

Perdition County (2014)

This project made by film students takes you to a fictional wasteland. Desmond belongs with a group of pilgrims who collect human skulls. When he stumbles upon two children, he’s determined to save them.

Beauty and the Beat/ Je sens le beat qui monte en moi (2012)

A tourist guide named Rosalba has a strange illness that causes her to dance whenever she hears music. Alain drives the tourist office’s minivan. Each is attracted to the other, but neither will admit it. This light-hearted French-Belgian comedy was directed by Yann Le Quellec and was nominated at the Lutins du Court-Métrage in 2013.

Mumbler/Mompelaar (2007)

In this dark, surreal film directed by Marc Roels and Wim Reygaert, a man with a speech impediment finds himself at a murder scene. What happens next is both baffling and horrific.

Bad Hunter (2013)

Sahim Omar Kalifa‘s short is not set in Belgium, but in rural Kurdistan. When the hunter Bahoz returns home, he catches a man trying to rape a young woman. After scaring the rapist away, he mends her clothes so she can keep this a secret from her family, but the family soon shows up at Bahoz’s doorstep.

Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.

Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.

Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.

Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.

We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.