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![]() Born in Temse on March 18, 1963, Verheyen launched himself on theinternational film scene at the tender age of 18 as co-organizer andprogrammer of the Knokke-Heist Film Festival. The event, dedicated toindependently produced American Films, was held only twice - in 1982and 1983 - but nevertheless succeeded in luring people like Robert Altman,Dennis Hopper, Roger Corman, Sam Raimi, Susannah York, Graham Chapman and Paul Bartel to Belgium'sNorth sea coast. In 1985 Verheyen, with his associate Marc Punt, foundedIndependent Films, a distribution outlet which quickly became the mostimportant independent Belgian film distributor with a market share ofup to 15%. Specializing in American, English and local productions,Independent released between 20 and 30 films a year. Basic Instinct (1992), Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991),Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994) and Se7en (1995) are Independent's top commercial hits, but itsacquisitions ranged from blockbusters to edgy art-house titles.Among the first-time directors distributed by Independent are Kevin Reynolds(Fandango (1985)), Joel Coen (Blood Simple (1984)), Renny Harlin (Prison (1987)), Gus Van Sant (_DrugstoreCowboy (1989)_), Kenneth Branagh (Henry V (1989)) and Tim Robbins (Bob Roberts (1992)). Both in1990 and 1991 Independent picked up the Cannes Palme D'Or Winner(Wild at Heart (1990) and Barton Fink (1991), respectively) just based on the script, monthsbefore the films were even selected for the festival.Independent had output distribution deals with leading suppliers suchas Carolco, New Line Cinema, Morgan Creek and PolyGram. Also,Independent has always been actively involved in local productions,backing both critically and commercially successful films as Crazy Love (1987)(aka Love Is A Dog From Hell), by Dominique Deruddere, Toto the Hero (1991) (Cannes Camera D'Orwinner 1991) by 'Jaco Van Dormael', and Oscar-nominated Daens (1992) by Stijn Coninx, stillthe most commercially successful Belgian film ever. The step towardsproduction was logical, and in 1987 Independent Productions wasstarted.In the past 10 years Independent has produced five shorts, all directedby young first time directors, a major drama series as well as a sitcomfor television, and five features. _Blueberry Hill (1989)_, was a nostalgic,bittersweet comedy set in the late fifties and directed by Robbe De Hert. Thefilm was successfully received by critics and audiences alike, and wasone of those rare Belgian films acquired by the BBC.Boys (1992), directed by Verheyen himself, was the Belgian equivalent ofthe American teen-pics of the eighties. It obviously appealed to localaudiences, who made it one of the most successful Belgian films everwith 300,000 admissions. Boys was launched at the Cannes film market in1992 and, although Belgian films aren't exactly at the top ofdistributors' shopping lists, proved a very nice surprise with sales todate to more than 15 countries, including Germany, Canada and Japan.The soundtrack of the film, which was released by EMI, also performedextremely well, selling 25,000 units in Belgian alone.Ad Fundum (1993), Independent's first foray into drama was written by Marc Puntand directed by newcomer Erik Van Looy. It is set on a college campus where acruel initiation rite gets completely out of hand. One student dies,but the lives of his friends are deeply affected as well as they try tomake people aware of what happened, only to be confronted with apathyand indifference.She Good Fighter (1995) was the directing debut of Marc Punt, who also wrote the scriptof this taut, attractively cast thriller about a young woman accused ofa crime she did not commit and the lawyer who risks his career helpingher fight a prejudiced and lazy justice system. In 1997 IndependentProductions completed its first television series, Diamant (1997) (Diamonds) -based on the best selling novel by Jef Geeraerts. Diamant was produced forthe Flemish commercial channel VTM and shot on spectacular locations inBelgium, Zimbabwe and Hong Kong on a US$3 million budget. It was thetop-rated drama series of the year.1998 saw the release of Dief! (1998) (Thief!), the second feature filmwritten and directed by Mark Punt, loosely based on the autobiographyof a petty thief whose life was destroyed by the prison system.In the meantime, Jan Verheyen and Mark Punt joined forces with PolyGramand in 1995 introduced PolyGram Filmed Entertainment in Belgium. Theirreleases include the blockbuster Bean (1997), and films such as French Kiss (1995),To Die For (1995), Dead Man Walking (1995), 'Jaco Van Dormael''s The Eighth Day (1996), Joel Coen's Fargo (1996), Barry Levinson'sSleepers (1996) starring Dustin Hoffman, Brad Pitt, 'Robert de Niro' and Jason Patric, Jane Campion'sThe Portrait of a Lady (1996), and the opulent epic Elizabeth (1998).Independent is also active as an exhibitor (the company owns twoprovincial multiplexes in Turnhout and Geraardsbergen), music publisherand video distributor (first through PolyGram Video, now throughUniversal Video). In 1995, Verheyen listened to the siren song ofHollywood and directed The Little Death (1996), an erotic thriller produced by IslandPictures. The film stars Pamela Gidley, Brent David Fraser, J.T. Walsh and Dwight Yoakam, and wassold virtually worldwide.One year later, Verheyen was back on the local scene with Everything Must Go (1996)(Everything Must Go), based on the local best seller by Tom Lanoye andproduced by Dirk Impens (Daens (1992),Manneken Pis (1995)). The film was very well receivedby critics and audiences alike and was seen on the worldwide festivalcircuit in 1997.In August 1996, Verheyen joined PolyGram in London as Vice PresidentInternational Distribution, overseeing releases of all films producedor acquired by PolyGram in all territories where PolyGram has its owndistributors (UK, Ireland, Canada, Belgium, Holland, France, Italy.Spain, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Australia, and New Zealand).In December 1997 he was promoted to Senior Vice President, addingimportant Asian territories such as Japan and South Korea to hisworkload, as well as becoming more involved in the production side,working closely with PolyGram-owned production companies Working Title(Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994), Bean (1997), Elizabeth (1998), Fargo (1996), Dead Man Walking (1995)), Propaganda (Sleepers (1996),The Portrait of a Lady (1996), The Game (1997) ) and Interscope (Mr. Holland's Opus (1995), What Dreams May Come (1998)) on thedecision-making process of which films to make.As a guest lecturer Verheyen was a frequent collaborator of the MediaBusiness School in Spain and the European Film College in Ebeltoft,Denmark. Between 1998 and 2001, Verheyen joined the Board of Directorsof the Berlin-based European Film Academy, a prestigious industryorganization which wants to become the European counterpart of theAmerican Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences. One of the mainactivities of the European Film Academy is the organization of theyearly European Film Awards - the European Oscars, so to speak. On theboard Verheyen was joined by well-known European directors such asWim Wenders, Istv��n Szab��, Agnieszka Holland and producer Nik Powell.In his native Belgium he is also a frequent guest on numeroustelevision and radio shows and every two years or so tours theaters inboth Belgium and Holland as the host of 'The Night of Bad Taste', inwhich he introduces trailers and clips from the strangest, most obscurecult films. In July 1999, shortly after PolyGram was sold to Seagram'sand renamed Universal Pictures International (UPI), Verheyen left thecompany and returned to Belgium, quickly becoming involved in anavalanche of media activities.He directed his fourth feature, Team Spirit (2000), which became the biggest localhit in years, attracting 350,000 admissions and spawning a hit single('Only Your Love Will Do' by Jan Leyers) and one of the most popularwebsites of the year.On television he is the host of FilmNight Special (1999) on commercial channel Kanaal 2,in which, every Friday night, he introduces often obscurecult/horror/science-fiction/fantasy films. The show is now in its 3rdyear and has spawned a number of prime-time specials such as the'Halloween All-Night Horror Marathon' and a TV version of 'The Night ofBad Taste'. For two seasons (1999 - 2000) he was also the host of thesatirical weekly panel show on Canvas, De mannen van de macht (1999) (based on the BBC-formatIf I Ruled the World (1998)).He is also one of the panelists on the popular radio program 'DeRechtvaardige Rechters', which was nominated - for the third yearrunning - by the Association of Flemish Radio & TV Critics as one ofthe five best programs of the year. When De rechtvaardige rechters (2001) moved to television -on Canvas - Verheyen remained on board as one of the regulars. Thesuccess of Team Spirit and his other media work resulted in Verheyenbeing voted by readers of the leading Flemish opinion weekly 'Knack' as'Man of the Year' in the category 'culture'.He also received the 2000 Pallieter Prize, a prize bestowed yearly on aperson or organization most active in promoting Flemish film.Independent Films in the meantime produced the successful sitcomDennis (2002) for VTM, written by Marc Punt and directed by Guy Goossens.Production is currently underway for a second series, which will airearly 2003. Also for VTM, Independent will produce a new, prestigious13-part drama mini-series Love Game about the modern slavery of womenfrom Eastern countries forced into prostitution in the West. Written byPaul Koeck (Diamant (1997)), the series will be directed by Marc Punt and GuyGoossens. It starts production in November 2002 for a 26-week shoot onlocations all over Europe and with a budget of $ 3.5 million.In 2001 TV1, the popular channel of the national broadcaster VRT, askedVerheyen to host a daily late-night summer talk-show, Aan tafel (2001). It wasthe first summer talk-show in recent memory that clicked with audiencesand Verheyen returned for an encore in the summer of 2002. Also in2001, Verheyen directed his fifth film, Alias (2002), a thriller based on anoriginal script by Paul Koeck and Christophe Dirickx. Alias was released inFebruary 2002 and did some 150,000 admissions, making it the mostsuccessful Flemish-language film of the year so far. Internationalsales are handled by London-based Ardent which will be introducing thefilm to international buyers at Mifed in October 2002.Verheyen is currently preparing a number of new film and televisionprojects, and early 2003 will be touring again with a new edition of'The Night of Bad Taste' which will premiere at the Rotterdam FilmFestival. He is recently married and lives in Antwerp,Belgium.
Bio:
Born in Temse on March 18, 1963, Verheyen launched himself on theinternational film scene at the tender age of 18 as co-organizer andprogrammer of the Knokke-Heist Film Festival. The event, dedicated toindependently produced American Films, was held only twice - in 1982and 1983 - but nevertheless succeeded in luring people like Robert Altman,Dennis Hopper, Roger Corman, Sam Raimi, Susannah York, Graham Chapman and Paul Bartel to Belgium'sNorth sea coast. In 1985 Verheyen, with his associate Marc Punt, foundedIndependent Films, a distribution outlet which quickly became the mostimportant independent Belgian film distributor with a market share ofup to 15%. Specializing in American, English and local productions,Independent released between 20 and 30 films a year. Basic Instinct (1992), Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991),Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994) and Se7en (1995) are Independent's top commercial hits, but itsacquisitions ranged from blockbusters to edgy art-house titles.Among the first-time directors distributed by Independent are Kevin Reynolds(Fandango (1985)), Joel Coen (Blood Simple (1984)), Renny Harlin (Prison (1987)), Gus Van Sant (_DrugstoreCowboy (1989)_), Kenneth Branagh (Henry V (1989)) and Tim Robbins (Bob Roberts (1992)). Both in1990 and 1991 Independent picked up the Cannes Palme D'Or Winner(Wild at Heart (1990) and Barton Fink (1991), respectively) just based on the script, monthsbefore the films were even selected for the festival.Independent had output distribution deals with leading suppliers suchas Carolco, New Line Cinema, Morgan Creek and PolyGram. Also,Independent has always been actively involved in local productions,backing both critically and commercially successful films as Crazy Love (1987)(aka Love Is A Dog From Hell), by Dominique Deruddere, Toto the Hero (1991) (Cannes Camera D'Orwinner 1991) by 'Jaco Van Dormael', and Oscar-nominated Daens (1992) by Stijn Coninx, stillthe most commercially successful Belgian film ever. The step towardsproduction was logical, and in 1987 Independent Productions wasstarted.In the past 10 years Independent has produced five shorts, all directedby young first time directors, a major drama series as well as a sitcomfor television, and five features. _Blueberry Hill (1989)_, was a nostalgic,bittersweet comedy set in the late fifties and directed by Robbe De Hert. Thefilm was successfully received by critics and audiences alike, and wasone of those rare Belgian films acquired by the BBC.Boys (1992), directed by Verheyen himself, was the Belgian equivalent ofthe American teen-pics of the eighties. It obviously appealed to localaudiences, who made it one of the most successful Belgian films everwith 300,000 admissions. Boys was launched at the Cannes film market in1992 and, although Belgian films aren't exactly at the top ofdistributors' shopping lists, proved a very nice surprise with sales todate to more than 15 countries, including Germany, Canada and Japan.The soundtrack of the film, which was released by EMI, also performedextremely well, selling 25,000 units in Belgian alone.Ad Fundum (1993), Independent's first foray into drama was written by Marc Puntand directed by newcomer Erik Van Looy. It is set on a college campus where acruel initiation rite gets completely out of hand. One student dies,but the lives of his friends are deeply affected as well as they try tomake people aware of what happened, only to be confronted with apathyand indifference.She Good Fighter (1995) was the directing debut of Marc Punt, who also wrote the scriptof this taut, attractively cast thriller about a young woman accused ofa crime she did not commit and the lawyer who risks his career helpingher fight a prejudiced and lazy justice system. In 1997 IndependentProductions completed its first television series, Diamant (1997) (Diamonds) -based on the best selling novel by Jef Geeraerts. Diamant was produced forthe Flemish commercial channel VTM and shot on spectacular locations inBelgium, Zimbabwe and Hong Kong on a US$3 million budget. It was thetop-rated drama series of the year.1998 saw the release of Dief! (1998) (Thief!), the second feature filmwritten and directed by Mark Punt, loosely based on the autobiographyof a petty thief whose life was destroyed by the prison system.In the meantime, Jan Verheyen and Mark Punt joined forces with PolyGramand in 1995 introduced PolyGram Filmed Entertainment in Belgium. Theirreleases include the blockbuster Bean (1997), and films such as French Kiss (1995),To Die For (1995), Dead Man Walking (1995), 'Jaco Van Dormael''s The Eighth Day (1996), Joel Coen's Fargo (1996), Barry Levinson'sSleepers (1996) starring Dustin Hoffman, Brad Pitt, 'Robert de Niro' and Jason Patric, Jane Campion'sThe Portrait of a Lady (1996), and the opulent epic Elizabeth (1998).Independent is also active as an exhibitor (the company owns twoprovincial multiplexes in Turnhout and Geraardsbergen), music publisherand video distributor (first through PolyGram Video, now throughUniversal Video). In 1995, Verheyen listened to the siren song ofHollywood and directed The Little Death (1996), an erotic thriller produced by IslandPictures. The film stars Pamela Gidley, Brent David Fraser, J.T. Walsh and Dwight Yoakam, and wassold virtually worldwide.One year later, Verheyen was back on the local scene with Everything Must Go (1996)(Everything Must Go), based on the local best seller by Tom Lanoye andproduced by Dirk Impens (Daens (1992),Manneken Pis (1995)). The film was very well receivedby critics and audiences alike and was seen on the worldwide festivalcircuit in 1997.In August 1996, Verheyen joined PolyGram in London as Vice PresidentInternational Distribution, overseeing releases of all films producedor acquired by PolyGram in all territories where PolyGram has its owndistributors (UK, Ireland, Canada, Belgium, Holland, France, Italy.Spain, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Australia, and New Zealand).In December 1997 he was promoted to Senior Vice President, addingimportant Asian territories such as Japan and South Korea to hisworkload, as well as becoming more involved in the production side,working closely with PolyGram-owned production companies Working Title(Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994), Bean (1997), Elizabeth (1998), Fargo (1996), Dead Man Walking (1995)), Propaganda (Sleepers (1996),The Portrait of a Lady (1996), The Game (1997) ) and Interscope (Mr. Holland's Opus (1995), What Dreams May Come (1998)) on thedecision-making process of which films to make.As a guest lecturer Verheyen was a frequent collaborator of the MediaBusiness School in Spain and the European Film College in Ebeltoft,Denmark. Between 1998 and 2001, Verheyen joined the Board of Directorsof the Berlin-based European Film Academy, a prestigious industryorganization which wants to become the European counterpart of theAmerican Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences. One of the mainactivities of the European Film Academy is the organization of theyearly European Film Awards - the European Oscars, so to speak. On theboard Verheyen was joined by well-known European directors such asWim Wenders, Istv��n Szab��, Agnieszka Holland and producer Nik Powell.In his native Belgium he is also a frequent guest on numeroustelevision and radio shows and every two years or so tours theaters inboth Belgium and Holland as the host of 'The Night of Bad Taste', inwhich he introduces trailers and clips from the strangest, most obscurecult films. In July 1999, shortly after PolyGram was sold to Seagram'sand renamed Universal Pictures International (UPI), Verheyen left thecompany and returned to Belgium, quickly becoming involved in anavalanche of media activities.He directed his fourth feature, Team Spirit (2000), which became the biggest localhit in years, attracting 350,000 admissions and spawning a hit single('Only Your Love Will Do' by Jan Leyers) and one of the most popularwebsites of the year.On television he is the host of FilmNight Special (1999) on commercial channel Kanaal 2,in which, every Friday night, he introduces often obscurecult/horror/science-fiction/fantasy films. The show is now in its 3rdyear and has spawned a number of prime-time specials such as the'Halloween All-Night Horror Marathon' and a TV version of 'The Night ofBad Taste'. For two seasons (1999 - 2000) he was also the host of thesatirical weekly panel show on Canvas, De mannen van de macht (1999) (based on the BBC-formatIf I Ruled the World (1998)).He is also one of the panelists on the popular radio program 'DeRechtvaardige Rechters', which was nominated - for the third yearrunning - by the Association of Flemish Radio & TV Critics as one ofthe five best programs of the year. When De rechtvaardige rechters (2001) moved to television -on Canvas - Verheyen remained on board as one of the regulars. Thesuccess of Team Spirit and his other media work resulted in Verheyenbeing voted by readers of the leading Flemish opinion weekly 'Knack' as'Man of the Year' in the category 'culture'.He also received the 2000 Pallieter Prize, a prize bestowed yearly on aperson or organization most active in promoting Flemish film.Independent Films in the meantime produced the successful sitcomDennis (2002) for VTM, written by Marc Punt and directed by Guy Goossens.Production is currently underway for a second series, which will airearly 2003. Also for VTM, Independent will produce a new, prestigious13-part drama mini-series Love Game about the modern slavery of womenfrom Eastern countries forced into prostitution in the West. Written byPaul Koeck (Diamant (1997)), the series will be directed by Marc Punt and GuyGoossens. It starts production in November 2002 for a 26-week shoot onlocations all over Europe and with a budget of $ 3.5 million.In 2001 TV1, the popular channel of the national broadcaster VRT, askedVerheyen to host a daily late-night summer talk-show, Aan tafel (2001). It wasthe first summer talk-show in recent memory that clicked with audiencesand Verheyen returned for an encore in the summer of 2002. Also in2001, Verheyen directed his fifth film, Alias (2002), a thriller based on anoriginal script by Paul Koeck and Christophe Dirickx. Alias was released inFebruary 2002 and did some 150,000 admissions, making it the mostsuccessful Flemish-language film of the year so far. Internationalsales are handled by London-based Ardent which will be introducing thefilm to international buyers at Mifed in October 2002.Verheyen is currently preparing a number of new film and televisionprojects, and early 2003 will be touring again with a new edition of'The Night of Bad Taste' which will premiere at the Rotterdam FilmFestival. He is recently married and lives in Antwerp,Belgium.
Tivia:
Daughter Anna, born November 4, 2005. |
| Name: |
Jan Verheyen |
Type: |
Director,Actor,Writer (IMDB) |
| Area: |
All World |
Platform: |
IMDB |
| Category: |
|
Business scope: |
Director,Actor,Writer |
| Products for sale: |
Director,Actor,Writer |
| Last update: |
2024-07-03 05:03:18 |
| Biography: |
Born in Temse on March 18, 1963, Verheyen launched himself on theinternational film scene at the tender age of 18 as co-organizer andprogrammer of the Knokke-Heist Film Festival. The event, dedicated toindependently produced American Films, was held |
| Trivia: |
Daughter Anna, born November 4, 2005. |
| Job title: |
Director,Actor,Writer |
| Spouse: |
Lien (2005 - present) (1 child) |
|
