# Stephan Brenninkmeijer

Stephan Brenninkmeijer (born 27 June 1964 in Doorwerth) is a Dutch film director, screenwriter and producer.

## Life and career

Brenninkmeijer was born and raised at Doorwerth Castle, Netherlands, where his father G.H. Brenninkmeijer was owner of the Michelin starred Restaurant Beaulieu.
At the age of eight, his family moved to Apeldoorn. From 1988 to 1992, he studied at the Netherlands Film Academy in Amsterdam. Although aiming to direct feature films, he first focused on storytelling through editing.
In 1992, he started his professional career editing television series and films. As an editor, he worked with Dutch directors like Academy Award winner Mike van Diem.
He directed his first feature film in 2000, The Silence of the Soul, which won a Golden Crown Award at the ICVM festival in Atlanta, United States.
The same year, he co-directed the TV series Westenwind, which won the Televizierring.
In 2002, he wrote, produced and directed the motion picture Swingers, a controversial low-budget production that had theatrical releases in the Benelux countries, as well as internationally.
In 2011, he wrote, produced and directed the feature film Caged. Caged was picked up by Anderson Digital for US distribution, and released in February 2013.
In 2012, Brenninkmeijer participated in the user-generated project Entertainment Experience with Paul Verhoeven to make his version on the user-generated script. Both Verhoeven's film (called Tricked) and Brenninkmeijers Lotgenoten (Counterparts) were to be released in the Netherlands in March 2013. The Entertainment Experience won an International Emmy Award in 2013.

## Filmography
### Feature films

| Year | Film | Director | Producer | Writer | Notes |
| 2024 | Almanak, women to love | Yes | Yes | Yes | nationwide release in The Netherlands |
| 2013 | Counterparts (Lotgenoten) | Yes | Yes | Yes | user-generated Entertainment Experience film |
| 2011 | Caged | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| 2002 | Swingers | Yes | Yes | Yes | nationwide release in The Netherlands |
| 2001 | The Silence of the Soul | Yes | | Yes | Won Golden Crown award 2001 at ICVM Festival, Atlanta (U.S.A.) |

### Short films

| Year | Film | Director | Producer | Writer | Notes |
| 2024 | Ice Cream | Yes | Yes | Yes | Winner Best short drama at the International Film Festival The Hague |
| 2024 | The Maimed | Yes | Yes | Yes | Winner Best actress The Hague Film Festival, Nomination Best short drama, Best actor, Best actress at the LHIFF International Film Festival Barcelona |
| 2022 | Burden | Yes | Yes | | Best actress, director award at Mannheim Arts and Film Festival (Germany) among others |
| 2022 | Tea for two | Yes | Yes | | |
| 2022 | Last bus | Yes | Yes | | |
| 2020 | Fleur | Yes | Yes | Yes | Best actress, cinematography and sound design award at 48 hour film project Amsterdam |
| 2019 | Vogels | Yes | Yes | | Best use of line award at 48 hour film project Eindhoven |
| 2019 | The knock on the door | Yes | Yes | Yes | Best actress award at 48 hour film project Utrecht |
| 2018 | Sh!ft | Yes | | | Premiered at Cannes film festival 2018 (HP MASTERS OF SHORT) |
| 2018 | Resolve | Yes | Yes | | Best film, director and actor award at 48 hour film project Eindhoven |
| 2017 | Love you daddy | Yes | | | |
| 2014 | All is grey | Yes | Yes | Yes | |

### TV series

| Year | Film | Director | Editor | Notes |
| 2019 | Camey Case | Yes | | |
| 2004 | De Band | | Yes | |
| 2003 | Bon bini beach | Yes | | |
| 2000 | Westenwind | Yes | Yes | Won Dutch Golden Televisierring |
| 1999 | Toscane | | Yes |
| 1999 | Echt waar | Yes | Yes | |
| 1999 | Blauw blauw | Yes | |
| 1998 | 't Zal je gebeuren... | Yes | Yes | |
| 1994-1998 | Crash! | Yes | Yes | |
| 1993 | Called at the bar | | Yes | Won Dutch Golden Calf and Nipkov Disc award for Best Television Drama series |

## Trivia

* Named his son Timo, a tribute to Joep Sertons' character in Swingers.
* Related to the famous Brenninkmeijer clan, the richest family in the Netherlands known from the C&A international chain of clothes stores.