Laura Wandel

Laura Wandel is a Belgian film director and screenwriter, best known for her debut feature film Playground.

Early life and education Wandel attended the Institut des Arts de Diffusion (IAD) in Ottignies-Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium and went on to work as a set designer, studio manager and wardrobe manager on several sets.

Career Wandel made her feature-length debut in 2021 with Playground, a drama film following the life of a seven-year-old girl dealing with the children's and adult's worlds. The film premiered in the Un Certain Regard section at the 74th Cannes Film Festival, where it won the FIPRESCI Prize. It also won the Sutherland Award for Best First Feature at the 65th BFI London Film Festival, and received the André Cavens Award presented by the Belgian Film Critics Association. The film was selected as Belgium's entry for Best International Feature Film at the 94th Academy Awards, making the shortlist of fifteen films in December. It received ten nominations at the 11th Magritte Awards and won seven, including Best Director and Best First Feature Film for Wandel.

Wandel's second feature, Adam's Interest, was developed at the 44th session of the Résidence of the Cannes Film Festival. The film, starring Léa Drucker and Anamaria Vartolomei, had its world premiere as the opening film of the Critics' Week section at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival.

Other activities Wandel served on the jury of the 2026 Cannes Film Festival, chaired by Park Chan-wook.

Filmography Feature films

Short films Murs (2007) O Négatif (2010); co-directed with Gaëtan D'Agostino Les corps étrangers (2014)

Awards and nominations Award Year Category Work Result Belgian Film Critics Association 2021 André Cavens Award Playground 2021 Prix Un Certain Regard Playground Caméra d'Or FIPRESCI Award Crossing Europe 2022 Audience Award – Best Fiction Film European Film Awards 2021 European Discovery – Prix FIPRESCI Festival international du cinéma francophone en Acadie 2021 Best International Fiction Feature Film Göteborg Film Festival 2022 Dragon Award Best International Film Guanajuato International Film Festival 2021 Best International Fiction Feature Film Haifa International Film Festival 2021 Golden Anchor for Best Debut Film International Cinephile Society 2022 Best Debut Feature International Istanbul Film Festival 2022 Young Master Award Magritte Awards 2015 Best Short Film Les corps étrangers 2022 Best Film Playground Best Director Best First Feature Film 2026 Best Film Adam's Interest Best Director Best Screenplay Nara International Film Festival 2022 Audience Award – International Competition Playground Pingyao International Film Festival 2021 Crouching Tigers – Best Film Santa Barbara International Film Festival 2026 Jeffrey C. Barbakow Award for Best International Feature Film Adam's Interest Sarajevo Film Festival 2021 Special Jury Mention Playground