Laura Wandel Explained

Laura Wandel is a Belgian film director and screenwriter.

Biography

She made her feature-length debut in 2021 with Playground, a drama film following the life of a seven-year-old girl dealing with the children's and adult's worlds. Playground premiered at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival, where it competed for the Caméra d'Or award for best first feature film, winning the FIPRESCI Prize.^[1] It received the André Cavens Award for Best Film given by the Belgian Film Critics Association (UCC) and was selected as the Belgian entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 94th Academy Awards.^[2]

At the 11th Magritte Awards, Playground was nominated for ten awards and won seven, including Best First Feature Film and Best Director for Wandel.^[3]

In 2025, Wandel's second feature Adam's Interest starring Léa Drucker and Anamaria Vartolomei will have its world premiere at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival in the Critics' Week section.^{[4] [5]}

Notes and References

1. Web site: Cannes Film Festival 2021: Full Winners List . Asia Tatler . 18 July 2021 . 18 July 2021.
2. Web site: Eric. Van Cutsem. La sélection 2021 de l’UCC. Cinopsis. 19 December 2021. 19 December 2021. French.
3. Web site: Goodfellow . Melanie . ‘Playground’, ‘Madly In Life’ top Belgium’s Magritte Awards . Screen Daily . 13 February 2022 . 13 February 2022.
4. Web site: Cannes Critics’ Week Unveils 2025 Selection – Full List & Details. Deadline Hollywood. Melanie. Goodfellow. 14 April 2025. 14 April 2025.
5. Web site: Léa Drucker and Anamaria Vartolomei lead the cast of Laura Wandel’s L’Intérêt d’Adam. CineEuropa. Aurore. Engelen. 25 July 2024. 14 April 2025.