Casting Directors

Here is what we have to work with. We supply casting directors who handle principal casting, supporting roles, background and pro non-actor casting for shoots in Belgium. Our team places casting directors with set up relationships across the Belgian agencies and acting schools, the language range to read actors in Dutch, French and English, and the local knowledge to advise a production on which side of the linguistic divide a role naturally sits. They run casting sessions in Brussels, Antwerp and Ghent, organise self-tapes for global directors, negotiate with agents, and set up work permits and child-performer compliance. For shoots funded through the Tax Shelter, casting directors also help structure a cast that meets the Belgian-spend expectations of that scheme while still serving the director's creative intent, drawing on a deep bench of trained Belgian talent.

Here is the layout. Belgium punches well above its size in screen acting. The country has produced worldwide recognised performers including Matthias Schoenaerts, who broke through in Michaël R. Roskam's 'Bullhead', Cécile de France of the Dardenne brothers' 'The Kid with a Bike', Jérémie Renier — a Dardenne regular who also looked in 'In Bruges' and 'Atonement' — Émilie Dequenne, a Best Actress winner at Cannes for 'Rosetta', and Benoît Poelvoorde.

Here is how that works. Behind these names is a deep ensemble pool fed by INSAS, RITCS and the conservatoires, and a long tradition of naturalistic performance associated with Belgian auteur cinema. Casting directors here are used to serving both the understated registers of the Magritte and Ensor award circuits and the demands of global genre and prestige shoots. They bring genuine cultural fluency to bilingual casts.