Bouli Lanners

Philippe "Boui" Lanners is a Belgian actor, director and writer whose career spans more than three decades, beginning in the late 1980s and continuing to the present day. Born on 20 May 1965 in the small village of Moresnet‑Chapelle, part of Plombières in the Liège province, he grew up in a modest household; his mother worked as a cleaning lady while his father served as a customs agent, a background that later informed the grounded realism of his characters. After completing secondary school, Lanners enrolled for a year at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Liège, where he studied painting before abandoning formal studies to support himself through a series of odd jobs, including work as a painter, a bus driver and a bartender. The turn of the millennium marked a decisive shift when he turned his attention to cinema, initially appearing in minor roles before gaining recognition for his naturalistic performance style and his ability to convey subtle humor. His breakthrough came with the critically acclaimed The Giants (2011), a film he wrote, directed and starred in, which garnered twelve nominations at the Magritte Awards and won five, including Best Film and Best Director, cementing his reputation as a leading voice in contemporary Belgian cinema. Subsequent projects such as The Unknown Girl (2016) and Angel at Sea (2009) showcased his versatility, allowing him to move fluidly between acting, directing and screenwriting while maintaining a distinctive visual aesthetic marked by stark landscapes and introspective narratives. Lanners’s work often explores themes of marginalisation, identity and the tension between tradition and modernity, resonating with audiences across Europe and earning him invitations to major film festivals such as Cannes and Berlin. Despite his public profile, he remains a private individual, keeping his personal life out of the spotlight; he is not known to be married and has no publicly disclosed children. Today, Lanners continues to act in international productions and develop new directorial projects, contributing to the vitality of Belgian and Francophone cinema while inspiring a new generation of filmmakers.