Stijn Coninx (1957) graduated from the Royal Institute for Theatre, Cinema and Sound (RITCS) in Brussels in 1980 with a documentary on Raoul Servais. He began his film career as an assistant director, working on several projects, including Dominique Deruddere’s Crazy Love.. Starting in 1987, he directed fourteen feature films, many of which were selected for and awarded at both national and international film festivals. Early in his career, Coninx developed a strong affinity for comedy. He collaborated closely with Urbanus, the popular Flemish comedian, singer, and actor. This partnership resulted in two major box office successes that became milestones in Flemish cinema: Hector (1987) and Koko Flanel (1990). In 1992, he shifted to drama with Daens, a critically acclaimed film that was nominated for Best International Feature Film at the Academy Awards. These films rank among the top ten most successful Belgian box office hits. Following Daens, Coninx was ennobled and granted the title of Baron. He later became a professor, served for a time as the artistic director of the RITCS and taught at INSAS. Later in his career, he directed biographical films about several notable figures, such as the young adventurer Heleen van der Laan and triathlete Marc Herremans. In 2018, he directed Niet schieten [Don’t Shoot], a film that reconstructs the extremely violent 1985 supermarket attack in Aalst by the Brabant Killers (Bende van Nijvel), and that shows its impact on a young witness.