Filmmaker Tom Fassaert (born 1979) spent his childhood between the Netherlands and South Africa. These contrasting environments undoubtedly shaped his view of the world. But it was primarily his father's obsession with making home videos that ignited Fassaert's passion for film.

A common thread throughout his films is the degree of intimacy that develops between himself and his subjects. Within this intimacy, he explores themes such as attachment, intergenerational trauma, and the desire for autonomy. With a gentle eye, he observes both the tragedy and the absurdity of the ever-unruly reality.

Tom Fassaert debuted with his feature length documentary An Angel in Doel about a Belgian village threatened with demolition. A tragic comic observation - filmed in black and white - of a community dealing with its own inevitable demise. The film premiered at the Berlinale, screened at +50 festivals worldwide and won several international awards. Fassaert's second feature length documentary is A Family Affair. A film focussing on his flamboyant grandmother and depicting the destructive patterns that are handed down generation after generation. It was the Opening Film of IDFA 2015 where Fassaert also received the prestigious Prins Bernhard Cultuur Fonds Documentary Award and the Special Jury Award. It made a journey to many international festivals and received numerous awards. Amongst others the Gouden Kalf (Dutch Academy Award) for best long documentary, and a nomination for Best European Documentary on the European Film Awards 2016. The film was also acquired by Netflix globally. Variety named Fassaert ‘One of the Ten Docu-makers to Watch'. Currently Tom is working on three new feature length documentaries alongside each other. All three are very personal stories, touching intimate subjects yet address universal themes. Read more about these projects @ Work.