Private Project

Belgian Bob

A satire about an alien who lands in Belgium and tries to attain citizenship. During the integration programme he experiences discrimination and unfairness whilst he just wants to fit in with the rest.
"In a land of immigrants, one was not an alien but simply the latest arrival." -Rudolf Arnheim

  • Vito Passtoors
    Director
  • Vito Passtoors
    Writer
  • Armani Passtoors
    Key Cast
    "Alien 'Bob'"
  • Nikita Passtoors
    Key Cast
    "Student Girl Friend"
  • Cedric Beck
    Key Cast
    "Teacher of Belgian Culture"
  • Project Type:
    Short, Student
  • Genres:
    Satire, Drama comedy
  • Runtime:
    7 minutes 14 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    August 14, 2024
  • Production Budget:
    200 EUR
  • Country of Origin:
    Belgium
  • Country of Filming:
    Belgium
  • Language:
    Dutch
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital (Black Magic)
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Black & White and Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    Yes - Kunstkaai
  • Digital Cinema Package:
    Unavailable
  • Central Illinois Feminist Film Festival Short Film Festival
    Charleston, Illinois
    United States
    March 25, 2025
    American Premiere
    Award Winner
  • Seoul International Kids & Youth Film Festival
    Gangnam-gu, Seoul
    October 26, 2024
    International Premiere
    Award Winner
  • Corti a Ponte - Piccolo festival
    Padova
    Italy
    May 5, 2025
    TRUTTERO PRIZE Award Winner
  • FunFest - International Video Festival
    Funchal
    Portugal
    May 22, 2025
    Award Winner
  • SERIES WEB AWARDS
    Lima, Lima
    Peru
    October 22, 2024
    South American Premiere
    Official Selection
  • Lift-Off Filmmakers Sessions
    Slough, Iver
    United Kingdom
    September 12, 2024
    International online
    Official Selection
  • First-Time Filmmaker Sessions
    Slough, Iver
    United Kingdom
    October 7, 2024
    Official Selection
  • Grifo Festival
    Chiaravalle, Marche
    Italy
    March 7, 2025
    Official Selection
Director Biography - Vito Passtoors

I am an eighteen year old student with a long life passion for films. I have always wanted to capture the essence of the sparks I felt while watching my favourite movies for the first times. Movies never leave my mind. You can research as much as you want, but without trying and failing you can't make a good movie. I have always made short stories, but with my end assignment about isolation I wanted to make something that counts. I started working on Belgian Bob, my debut short film. The shooting was at the same time the most stressful and the most enjoyable time of my life. So now the only rational thing to do is keep making new ones.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

Belgian Bob meant everything for me. For my end assignment about isolation I chose Belgian immigration as my theme because my brother-in-law had many problems with integrating in the culture and witnessed a lot of discrimination. After interviewing other people about this the problem kept getting addressed and that stuck with me. I knew I had to do something and for me the only option was making a film where I could show these unfair stories. So with the interviews and some research I wrote the first draft. I couldn't narrow down the main character to an ethnicity so I chose to go a little absurd, my main character was going to be an alien. This because in America the term: Illegal Alien is used for an immigrant without papers. And feeling alienated ties back with isolation.