Private Project

Het Geluk

One evening, 38-year-old Frank returns to his quiet residential house where his family has organised a surprise birthday party. Everybody is present: his wife, two children, brother, sister-in-law, his father … even the babysitter. They toast, his favourite meal is served and a birthday cake provided. But, amid the celebration, there are hints that things aren't really what they seem to be …

  • Jan Van Dyck
    Director
    Until it hits you (2009)
  • Jan Van Dyck
    Writer
    Until it hits you (2009)
  • Peter De Maegd
    Producer
  • Stijn Van Opstal
    Key Cast
  • Joke De Bruyn
    Key Cast
  • Kes Bakker
    Key Cast
  • Adriana Bakker
    Key Cast
  • Robby Cleiren
    Key Cast
  • Iris Van Cauwenbergh
    Key Cast
  • François Beukelaers
    Key Cast
  • Indra De Bruyn
    Key Cast
  • Ben Vandendaele
    Festival promotion / sales agent / Dirstributor
    Siemiany (2009), The Letter (2011), Subaru (2013), De weg van alle vlees (2013), De Smet (2014), In de naam van de kater (2014), ALLER - RETOUR (2014), August (2014), Het Geluk (2015) , Figura (2015)
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Runtime:
    14 minutes 59 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    July 22, 2015
  • Country of Origin:
    Belgium
  • Country of Filming:
    Belgium
  • Language:
    Dutch
  • Shooting Format:
    RED
  • Aspect Ratio:
    2:35
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Jan Van Dyck

Jan Van Dyck (april 16th 1971) is a freelance scriptwriter, director and script doctor. He has many years of experience in theatre. In 2010, he made a shift towards television and film. As a writer and director, Jan made the short films Until it hits you (2013) and Homeful Bliss (2015). Currently, he is preparing his film De Gloed. Furthermore, he was co-writer on the television series Red Star Line (Frank Van Passel) and script-doctor for the television series Den 11e van den 11e (Tom Van Dyck/Alice Reijs). Jan teaches at the film department of Sint-Lukas (Brussels) and the drama department of the Lemmens Institute (Leuven) (both LUCA ARTS).

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Director Statement

I wanted to make a film about how very common things like a birthday party, having a family around, having a nice house and kids can be the object of desire, of longing and of missing. A film that makes us look differently at almost archetypical things: making love, secretly being unfaithful, comforting a child when it has to go to sleep … How all those very ordinary things can become uncanny. How happiness can become strange and even rare. Homeful Bliss is a film about perception of ordinary reality and the want, or even desire, for this commonness.