Marc-Henri Wajnberg

Marc-Henri Wajnberg is a Belgian director and producer. He studied cinema at INSAS, in Brussels. He is also a screenwriter, actor and head of the production company Wajnbrosse Productions.

He has directed more than 2,700 short and very short films, documentaries, feature films, an interactive virtual reality film, 2D animations and in stop motion. He launched the trend of short films worldwide in the early 1980s with his collection of 1,200 8-second films CLAPMAN (CLAP), broadcast daily in about fifty countries and of which he is the author, performer, director and producer. His first feature film, Just Friends, in 1993, was the film representing Belgium for the Academy Awards. His work has been awarded more than 107 international prizes, including the Rail d’Or at Cannes for the short film The Alarm Clock (Le Réveil) in 1996.

Biography Originally from Brussels, Marc-Henri Wajnberg pursued cinema studies at the National Higher Institute of Performing Arts and Broadcasting Techniques (INSAS), where his graduation project was selected for the international meetings (Cilect).

His career took off in 1982 with CLAPMAN (CLAP) , a project he signed as author, actor, director and producer. This collection of 1,200 8-second shorts broadcast daily achieved international success in more than 50 countries and won 5 international awards, notably the Gold Award at the New York International Film and TV Festival in 1984.

In 1993 he directed his first feature film, Just Friends , which immerses us in the jazz music scene in Antwerp in 1959, through a talented saxophonist dreaming of making a career in New York. Starring Josse de Pauw, Sylvie Milhaud, Ann Gisel Glass and Charles Berling, it won 14 awards.

He then directed the short film The Alarm Clock (Le Réveil) in 1996, which was awarded the Rail d’Or at Cannes, in which he stages Jean-Claude Dreyfus waking up each morning using a thousand ingenious mechanisms (22 awards). .

Passionate about art and history, Wajnberg turned to creative documentary. He notably signed Yevgeny Khaldei, Photographer Under Stalin (Evgueni Khaldei, photographe sous Staline) in 1997 then Oscar Niemeyer, an Architect Committed to His Century (Oscar Niemeyer, un architecte engagé dans le siècle) in 2001, portrait of the most prolific architect of the 20th century, awarded 13 times.

In the 2000s, he developed Kaleidoscope, looking at life frames (Kaléidoscope, regards sur un cadre de vie), a collection of 33 documentaries for Arte exploring singular living places across Europe and beyond, of which he personally directed four episodes.

In 2001, he wrote, directed and acted with Jean-Claude Dreyfus in Around the World in 80 Beers (Le tour du monde en 80 bières), a documentary fiction for a thematic evening for Arte.

For 6 years, he supervised a framework contract with the European Commission for educational productions, including Nanotechnology (Nanotechnologie), intended for European high school seniors.

He participated in the development and co-production of The Five Obstructions, in 2003, dogme documentary by Lars von Trier and Joergen Leth. A research film where the preconceptions and opinions of the two men will be continually questioned.

In 2020, he co-produced The Barefoot Emperor, a comedy by Jessica Woodworth and Peter Brosens, sequel to the mockumentary King of Belgians, which tells how the last King of the Belgians became the first Emperor of the Europeans. The film was nominated for the 11th Magritte Awards in the category Best Flemish Film.

Focus on Kinshasa

In 2009, he produced The Earth, the Men (La Terre, des Hommes) , collection of 5 documentaries filmed in Democratic Republic of the Congo. As part of the 50 years of African independence, he directed for Arte a web documentary Portraits of Kinshasa, episode of the award-winning collection AFRICA: 50 years of independence.

This Kinshasa immersion gave birth to Kinshasa Kids, his second feature film in 2012. This hybrid fiction-documentary work follows 8 street children in their quest for a better future. The film toured 60 festivals and received 8 awards, including the Odyssey Prize for Human Rights in Strasbourg given by 8 ambassadors.

Deeply committed, he helps the children in his films get off the streets, collaborating with local associations, notably the REEJER (Network of Educators of Street Children and Youth). He then innovated with Kinshasa Now with an interactive virtual reality film - technical world first - selected at Venice and in 44 countries (18 major awards).

I am Chance, in 2022, highlights street girls through the journey of Chancelvie and her friends, facing trials with smiles and resilience. Selected in 41 festivals, I am Chance won 14 major awards, including the Amade Prize from the Princess Grace Foundation of Monaco for helping children in difficulty and the ECFA (European Children's Film Association) prize for best European documentary.

After filming, the girls in the film refused to join rehabilitation centers. Following this, Marc-Henri Wajnberg imagined the ”MAISON HORIZON” pilot project, a reception center for these girls who are so socialized on the streets that they refuse to go to centers that do not correspond to their desires and needs, which he will present to the Human Rights Academy of the United Nations in Geneva.

Teaching

Marc-Henri Wajnberg taught at the ERG in Brussels (1987), at the International Film School of San Antonio de Los Banos in Cuba (EICTV) (from 1994 to 2012), at the French cultural center in Kinshasa (2014), and gave lectures at Peking University.

He has been a member of several film festival juries: the Geneva Film Festival ”Star of Tomorrow” in Switzerland in 1998, the International Festival of Films on Art in Montreal, Canada (Jury President) in 2002, the Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival in Belgium in 2011, the Brussels 48 Hours Film Project in Belgium in 2015 (Jury President), the VR SMART Jury at FIPADOC in Biarritz, France in 2024 and the Badalona Festival in Spain in 2024

He chaired the Film on Art Center from 2003 to 2006 and sits on the Cinema Commission of the Wallonia-Brussels Federation.

Filmography

Director

Fiction Feature Films

1994 : Just Friends 2012 : Kinshasa Kids

Documentary Feature Films

1978 : Happy as a Baby Under Water (Heureux comme un bébé dans l’eau) (documentary on birth without violence, 50 min) 1997 : Yevgeny Khaldei, Photographer Under Stalin (Evgueni Khaldei, photographe sous Staline) (64 min) 1999 : Around the World in 80 Beers (Le tour du monde en 80 bières) (60 min), with Jean-Claude Dreyfus 2001 : Oscar Niemeyer, an Architect Committed to His Century (Oscar Niemeyer, un architecte engagé dans le siècle) (60 min) 2014 : Sorcerer Children, Kinshasa (Enfants sorciers, Kinshasa) (52 min) 2022 : I Am Chance (85 min)

Television

1981 : Professor Adélard (Le Professeur Adélard) (children's series on fun physics, 12 episodes of 3 min 30) 1983 : CLAPMAN (CLAP) (series of 1,200 episodes of 8 s) 1987 : The Three-Cushion Billiards Table (Le billard à trois bandes) (documentary for Canal + with Josse de Pauw, Ludo Diellis, Richard Bitalis, 26 min) 1988 : Smoke, It's Belgian (Fume, c’est du Belge) (The Series) (Satirical micro-interview, 4 episodes of 5 min) 1989 : Wolinski (animated series of 40 episodes of 20 s) 1989 : The Last Philosophers (Les Derniers Philosophes) (series of 50 episodes of 2 min) 1989 : The First Three Minutes (Les trois premières minutes) (launch of Canal + Belgium) 1989 : The Decoder: Instructions for Use (Le décodeur : mode d’emploi) (launch of Canal + Belgium) 1989 : The Americans (Les ricains) (launch of Canal + Belgium) 1989 : Directors (Les directeurs) (launch of Canal + Belgium) 1989 : Good Odds (Les bonnes chances) (launch of Canal + Belgium) 1989 : Sports Trailer (Bande annonce sport) (launch of Canal + Belgium) 1989 : Cinema Credits Trailer (Bande annonce générique cinéma) (launch of Canal + Belgium) 1989 : Topor…Un comble ! (report on the artist for Cargo de nuit of 11 min) 1991 : Mr Almaniak (series mixing animation and live-action, 365 episodes of 50 s) 2002 : The Royal Galleries of Saint-Hubert in Brussels (Les Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert à Bruxelles) (series Kaleidoscope, Views of a Living Environment (Kaléidoscope, regards sur un cadre de vie), 26 min) 2002 : The Liner ”SS Norway”, Caribbean (Le Paquebot ”SS Norway”, Caraïbes) (series Kaleidoscope, Views of a Living Environment (Kaléidoscope, regards sur un cadre de vie), 26 min) 2004 : Denpasar Market, Bali, Indonesia (Le marché de Denpasar, Bali, Indonésie) (series Kaleidoscope, Views of a Living Environment (Kaléidoscope, regards sur un cadre de vie), 26 min) 2005 : Bollywood, Mumbai, India (Bollywood, Mumbaï, Inde) (series Kaleidoscope, Views of a Living Environment (Kaléidoscope, regards sur un cadre de vie), 26 min) 2006 : Nanotechnology, the Film (Nanotechnologie, le film) (docu/fiction on the nanoscience revolution, 26 min) 2007 : Hello (animated series of 900 episodes of 11 s) 2012 : Portraits of Kinshasa (for the ARTE collection AFRICA: 50 years of independence)

Short Films

1974 : Smoke, It's Belgian (Fume, c’est du belge) (Satirical micro-interview, 14 min) 1977 : In Trouble…Culas (Dans de beaux draps…Culas) (graduation film, 30 min) 1984 : Smoke, It's Belgian (Fume, c’est du belge) (The Return) (Satirical micro-interview, 10 min) 1985 : FLASH BACK (8 min) 1988 : The Picnic Family (La famille Pic-nic) (7 min) 1996 : The Alarm Clock (Le Réveil), with Jean-Claude Dreyfus 2011 : SLAP! (BAF !) (6 min) 2020 : Kinshasa Now (360° virtual reality short film) 2025 : Prout (Humorous children's short film in stop-motion plasticine and live-action, 7 min)

Advertising

1998 : Select (4 advertising films for the cigarette brand SELECT) 1998 : Tango (2 advertising films as part of the campaign Parisienne People by Famous Directors) 2001 : Quickly Read, Well Read (Vite lu, bien lu) (3 advertising films for the Swiss newspaper ”Le Matin”, 15 s) 2000 : The Euro (L’Euro) (drawings by Royer) (advertising film for the European Commission) 2003 : Nanotechnology (La nanotechnologie) (advertising film for the European Commission)

Producer

Fiction Feature Films

1991 : Money (La thune) 1994: Just Friends 2003 : The Five Obstructions 2012 : Kinshasa Kids 2019 : The Barefoot Emperor

Documentary Feature Films

1978 : Happy as a Baby Under Water (Heureux comme un bébé dans l’eau) (documentary on birth without violence, 50 min) 1997 : Yevgeny Khaldei, Photographer Under Stalin (Evgueni Khaldei, photographe sous Staline) (64 min) 1999 : The Lost Mummy (La Momie Perdue) (52 min) 1999 : Around the World in 80 Beers (Le tour du monde en 80 bières) (60 min), with Jean-Claude Dreyfus 2001 : Oscar Niemeyer, an Architect Committed to His Century (Oscar Niemeyer, un architecte engagé dans le siècle) (60 min) 2014 : Sorcerer Children, Kinshasa (Enfants sorciers, Kinshasa) (52 min) 2022 : I Am Chance (85 min)

Television

1981 : Professor Adélard (Le Professeur Adélard) (children's series on fun physics, 12 episodes of 3 min 30) 1983 : CLAPMAN (CLAP) (series of 1,200 episodes of 8 s) 1987 : The Three-Cushion Billiards Table (Le billard à trois bandes) (documentary for Canal + with Josse de Pauw, Ludo Diellis, Richard Bitalis, 26 min) 1988 : Smoke, It's Belgian (Fume, c’est du Belge) (The Series) (Satirical micro-interview, 4 episodes of 5 min) 1989 : Wolinski (animated series of 40 episodes of 20 s) 1989 : The Last Philosophers (Les Derniers Philosophes) (series of 50 episodes of 2 min) 1991 : Mr Almaniak (series mixing animation and live-action, 365 episodes of 50 s) 2002 - 2006 : Kaleidoscope, Views of a Living Environment (Kaléidoscope, regards sur un cadre de vie) (documentary series of 33 episodes on different lifestyles around the world, 26 min) 2006 : Nanotechnology, the Film (Nanotechnologie, le film) (docu/fiction on the nanoscience revolution, 26 min) 2007 : Hello (animated series of 900 episodes of 11 s) 2010 : The Earth, the Men (La Terre, des Hommes) (documentary series on agriculture in Congo and Belgium, 5 episodes of 26 min) 2012 : Portraits of Kinshasa (for the ARTE collection AFRICA: 50 years of independence)

Short Films

1974 : Smoke, It's Belgian (Fume, c’est du belge) (Satirical micro-interview, 14 min) 1984 : Smoke, It's Belgian (Fume, c’est du belge) (The Return) (Satirical micro-interview, 10 min) 1985 : FLASH BACK (8 min) 1988 : The Picnic Family (La famille Pic-nic) (7 min) 1996 : The Alarm Clock (Le Réveil) 2011 : SLAP! (BAF !) (6 min) 2020 : Kinshasa Now (360° virtual reality short film) 2025 : Prout (Humorous children's short film in stop-motion plasticine and live-action, 7 min) Advertising 1998 : Select (4 advertising films for the cigarette brand SELECT) 1998 - 2003 : 17 advertising films for the European Commission

Screenwriter

Fiction Feature Films

1980 : Mama Dracula 1994 : Just Friends 2012 : Kinshasa Kids 2008 : San Mao

Documentary Feature Films

1978 : Happy as a Baby Under Water (Heureux comme un bébé dans l’eau) (documentary on birth without violence, 50 min) 1997 : Yevgeny Khaldei, Photographer Under Stalin (Evgueni Khaldei, photographe sous Staline) (64 min) 1999 : Around the World in 80 Beers (Le tour du monde en 80 bières) (60 min), with Jean-Claude Dreyfus 2001 : Oscar Niemeyer, an Architect Committed to His Century (Oscar Niemeyer, un architecte engagé dans le siècle) (60 min) 2014 : Sorcerer Children, Kinshasa (Enfants sorciers, Kinshasa) (52 min) 2022 : I Am Chance (85 min)

Television

1981 : Professor Adélard (Le Professeur Adélard) (children's series on fun physics, 12 episodes of 3 min 30) 1983 : CLAPMAN (CLAP) (series of 1,200 episodes of 8 s) 1987 : The Three-Cushion Billiards Table (Le billard à trois bandes) (documentary for Canal + with Josse de Pauw, Ludo Diellis, Richard Bitalis, 26 min) 1988 : Smoke, It's Belgian (Fume, c’est du Belge) (The Series) (Satirical micro-interview, 4 episodes of 5 min) 1989 : Wolinski (animated series of 40 episodes of 20 s) 1989 : The Last Philosophers (Les Derniers Philosophes) (series of 50 episodes of 2 min) 1989 : The First Three Minutes (Les trois premières minutes) (launch of Canal + Belgium) 1989 : The Decoder: Instructions for Use (Le décodeur : mode d’emploi) (launch of Canal + Belgium) 1989 : The Americans (Les ricains) (launch of Canal + Belgium) 1989 : Directors (Les directeurs) (launch of Canal + Belgium) 1989 : Good Odds (Les bonnes chances) (launch of Canal + Belgium) 1989 : Sports Trailer (Bande annonce sport) (launch of Canal + Belgium) 1989 : Cinema Credits Trailer (Bande annonce générique cinéma) (launch of Canal + Belgium) 1991 : Mr Almaniak (series mixing animation and live-action, 365 episodes of 50 s) 2002 : The Royal Galleries of Saint-Hubert in Brussels (Les Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert à Bruxelles) (series Kaleidoscope, Views of a Living Environment (Kaléidoscope, regards sur un cadre de vie), 26 min) 2002 : The Liner ”SS Norway”, Caribbean (Le Paquebot ”SS Norway”, Caraïbes) (series Kaleidoscope, Views of a Living Environment (Kaléidoscope, regards sur un cadre de vie), 26 min) 2004 : Denpasar Market, Bali, Indonesia (Le marché de Denpasar, Bali, Indonésie) (series Kaleidoscope, Views of a Living Environment (Kaléidoscope, regards sur un cadre de vie), 26 min) 2005 : Bollywood, Mumbai, India (Bollywood, Mumbaï, Inde) (series Kaleidoscope, Views of a Living Environment (Kaléidoscope, regards sur un cadre de vie), 26 min) 2006 : Nanotechnology, the Film (Nanotechnologie, le film) (docu/fiction on the nanoscience revolution, 26 min) 2007 : Hello (animated series of 900 episodes of 11 s) 2009 : The Earth, the Men (La Terre, des Hommes) (documentary series on agriculture in Congo and Belgium, 5 episodes of 26 min) 2012 : Portraits of Kinshasa (for the ARTE collection AFRICA: 50 years of independence)

Short Films

1974 : Smoke, It's Belgian (Fume, c’est du belge) (Satirical micro-interview, 14 min) 1977 : In Trouble…Culas (Dans de beaux draps…Culas) (graduation film, 30 min) 1984 : Smoke, It's Belgian (Fume, c’est du belge) (The Return) (Satirical micro-interview, 10 min) 1985 : FLASH BACK (8 min) 1996 : The Alarm Clock (Le Réveil), with Jean-Claude Dreyfus 2011 : SLAP! (BAF !) (6 min) 2020 : Kinshasa Now (360° virtual reality short film) 2025 : Prout (Humorous children's short film in stop-motion plasticine and live-action, 7 min)

Advertising

1998 : Select (4 advertising films for the cigarette brand SELECT) 1998 : Tango (2 advertising films as part of the campaign Parisienne People by Famous Directors) 2001 : Quickly Read, Well Read (Vite lu, bien lu) (3 advertising films for the Swiss newspaper ”Le Matin”, 15 s) 2000 : The Euro (L’Euro) (drawings by Royer) (advertising film for the European Commission) 2003 : Nanotechnology (La nanotechnologie) (advertising film for the European Commission)

Actor

Cinema

1979 : Attention to Color (Attention à la couleur) : Marc 1980 : Mama Dracula : Vladimir 1990 : Koko Flanel : Frédérique 2005 : Bunker Paradise : The client

Documentary

1999 : Around the World in 80 Beers (Le tour du monde en 80 bières) : Johnny 1991 : Mr Almaniak : Presenter

Television

1981 : Professor Adélard (Le Professeur Adélard) : The professor 1983 : CLAPMAN (CLAP) : Clapman

Short Films

1974 : Smoke, It's Belgian (Fume, c’est du belge) (Satirical micro-interview, 14 min) : Journalist 1984 : Smoke, It's Belgian (Fume, c’est du belge) (The Return) (Satirical micro-interview, 10 min) : Journalist 1985 : FLASH BACK (8 min) 1994 : Phew! (Ouf!)

Theater

1975 : Vous disiez Monsieur IngresFilmography

Awards In total, Marc-Henri Wajnberg's films have been awarded more than 107 international prizes.

Just Friends was awarded 13 international prizes, including the awards for best Belgian film, best actor (Josse de Pauw) and best director at the Ghent Film Festival (Joseph Plateau Award). The Alarm Clock (Le Réveil) won, in addition to the Rail d'Or at Cannes, 22 other international prizes. Yevgeny Khaldei, Photographer Under Stalin (Evgueni Khaldeï, photographe sous Staline) won 3 prizes and Oscar Niemeyer, an Architect Committed to His Century (Oscar Niemeyer, Un architecte engagé dans le siècle) was also internationally recognized with 13 prizes. Kinshasa Kids received the Human Rights Prize, presented in Strasbourg by 8 ambassadors. The film was selected at Venice, Toronto, Busan, New York... (8 prizes and more than 50 festivals). Kinshasa Now received 18 international awards and was selected in 44 festivals including the Venice Film Festival where it was in official competition in the 'virtual reality' section.

I Am Chance was nominated for the Magritte Awards and selected in 41 international festivals, notably at the États généraux du film documentaire. It received 14 awards.