Bram Van Paesschen (1979-2025)

The Belgian documentary filmmaker, editor and lecturer Bram Van Paesschen unexpectedly passed away on Friday 10 January in Brussels, at the age of 45. 

Born in 1979 in Vilvoorde, Belgium, Bram studied film at LUCA Brussels, graduating in 2002. His graduation project, Rookgordijn boven Brussel, a mockumentary about the legendary 1967 fire in Brussels’ INNO department store, garnered international acclaim at festivals like FID Marseille and the Buenos Aires Festival Internacional de Cine Independiente. This early success marked the beginning of a remarkable career in documentary filmmaking.

His notable films include World of Blue / Land of O. (2005), a poignant documentary about the lives of three individuals with AIDS. In 2008, he released Pale Peko Bantu Mambo Ayikosake, about a young miner in Katanga who hopes to earn enough money through hard work to attend university. In 2011, he directed Empire of Dust, an exploration of the Chinese Railway Engineering Company’s efforts to build a railway in the Congo. His final work, I’m New Here (2017), examined the experiences of African migrants in China and their perceptions of the country. In addition to directing, Bram was an accomplished editor, contributing to numerous film projects, including Jeroen Van Der Stock’s Silent Visitors and Wild Beast. He also taught at the KASK & CONSERVATORIUM School of Arts in Ghent.