Nicolas Keppens
Nicolas Keppens (born July 5, 1989) is an Oscar-nominated film director and artist born in Aalst, Belgium. He is mostly known for his Oscars-shortlisted film Beautiful Men (2023) and his award-winning short Easter Eggs (2021), an animated short film about finding extraordinary things in ordinary places.
Nicolas Keppens
Hilke Arijs · CC BY 4.0
- Name
- Nicolas Keppens
- Born
- 5 July 1989
- Birthplace
- Aalst, Belgium
- Occupation
- Film director
- Known for
- Beautiful Men Easter Eggs
- Awards
- European Film Award for Best Short Film
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In this article
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Nicolas Keppens • Born — 5 July 1989 • Birthplace — Aalst, Belgium • Citizenship — Belgian • Occupation — Film director • Known for — Beautiful Men Easter Eggs • Awards — European Film Award for Best Short Film
Career
Career
Keppens first studied animation at KASK School of Arts in Ghent, graduating in 2012. He then obtained a film degree at the LUCA School of Arts in Brussels. After his studies, Keppens first worked as a cleanup and in-between animator at Lunanime for Phantom Boy. From 2015 to 2021, he worked as production manager for the Hans Op de Beeck contemporary art studio. Since 2021, Keppens has been an animation lecturer at the KASK School of Arts.
Contemporary Art
Contemporary Art
• 2021: Belle Epoque at Netwerk Aalst (immersive installation) - co-creator with Matthias Phlips (as performance duo Mat & Nikki). • 2021: Hinder (exhibition) - co-creator with Matthias Phlips (as performance duo Mat & Nikki). • 2024: De Wolharige Neushoorn (public artwork) - artist.
Recognition
Recognition
Keppens' short films have received multiple awards at international film festivals, including the Award for Best Narrative Film at the 2024 Ottawa International Animation Festival, the Best Belgian Short Film Award at the 2024 Anima Brussels Animation Festival and the Alexeïeff - Parker Award at the 2024 Annecy International Animation Film Festival for the short film Beautiful Men (2023). With his short Easter Eggs (2021), Keppens won the Grand Prix at the 2021 Cinanima Festival and the Jury Award at the 2021 Annecy International Animation Film Festival. His short film Wildebeest (2018), which he co-wrote and co-directed with Matthias Phlips, won the Best Film Award at the 2018 Fantoche International Animation Film Festival and was nominated for a European Film Award. On January 23rd, 2025, Keppens received his first Academy Award nomination with the film Beautiful Men (2023).
Diorama door Nicolas Keppens van een wolharige neushoorn op de liftkoker van cc de werf in Aalst. Kunst in de openbare ruimte in Aalst.
Nicolas Keppens · Photograph: Hilke Arijs
Diorama door Nicolas Keppens van een wolharige neushoorn op de liftkoker van cc de werf in Aalst. Kunst in de openbare ruimte in Aalst.
Hilke Arijs
Film
• 2012: Superstars (short film) - director, writer, animator. • 2017: Wildebeest (short film) - director, writer, animator. • 2021: Easter Eggs (short film) - director, writer, editor. • 2023: The Miracle (short film) - set designer. • 2023: Beautiful Men (short film) - director, writer, editor, line producer, production designer.
Text attribution
Licensing
Text attribution
Part of the biographical narrative on this page reuses licensed material. Its origin, revision and licence are recorded here.
The biographical narrative on this page is based on the Wikipedia article Nicolas Keppens, revision 1339480347 (EN edition), by its contributors. VALÉORINE has edited that text and built its own documentary record around it. The reused material is available under CC BY-SA 4.0, and this page's reuse of it is offered under the same licence. Everything else on this page — the chronology, the holdings, the evidence, the plates and the connections — is VALÉORINE's own record. Sources and licences.
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.The 97th Academy Awards 2025. www.oscars.org. 2025-01-23.
- 2.97TH OSCARS® SHORTLISTS IN 10 AWARD CATEGORIES ANNOUNCED. press.oscars.org.
- 3.critic, Jackson MurphyJackson Murphy is a movie. INTERVIEW: Taking A Trip With "Beautiful Men". Animation Scoop. 2025-01-07.
- 4.Nicolas Keppens on "Easter Eggs" / interview. Berlinale Shorts. 2021-03-03.
- 5.Giraud, Kévin. Oscar Shortlist Interviews: Director Nicolas Keppens Shares His Favorite Shot From 'Beautiful Men' (Exclusive). Cartoon Brew. 2025-01-08.
- 6.Festival Scope Pro. pro.festivalscope.com.
- 7.Nicolas Keppens. KASK & Conservatorium.
- 8.Nicolas Keppens. IFFR EN.
- 9.Wildebeest - Kurzfilm Verleih. verleih.shortfilm.com.
- 10.MAT.
- 11.MAT.
- 12.Lievens, Rutger. Goederenlift van CC De Werf is nu eyecatcher dankzij wolharige neushoorn: “Zo zag Aalst er 250.000 jaar geleden uit”. Het Laatste Nieuws. 2024-09-22.
- 13.Nieuwe streetart aan CC De Werf: De Wolharige Neushoorn Stad Aalst. aalst.be. 2025-01-08.
- 14.Zahed, Ramin. 'Flow' and 'La Voix des Sirènes' Swim Home with Ottawa Intl. Animation Festival's Top Prizes. Animation Magazine. 2024-09-28.
- 15.Festival, Anima. Anima Festival - Awards 2024. Anima Festival – 28 February - 09 March 2025. 2024-03-03.
- 16.Awards CITIA. www.annecyfestival.com.
- 17.Easter Eggs de Nicolas Keppens (2021) - Unifrance. en.unifrance.org.
- 18.Annecy 2021, Official Prize Winners. www.annecyfestival.com.
References
Citations
References
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Secondary witness
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 25 August 2026.
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