Claim: Mr. Nobody was written by a man.

Jaco Van Dormael -LRB- born 9 February 1957 -RRB- is a Belgian film director , screenwriter and playwright . His complex and critically acclaimed films are especially noted for their respectful and sympathetic portrayal of people with mental and physical disabilities .   Van Dormael spent his childhood travelling around Europe , before going on to study filmmaking at the INSAS in Brussels , where he wrote and directed his first short film , Maedeli la brèche -LRB- 1981 -RRB- , which received the Honorary Foreign Film Award at the Student Academy Awards . Van Dormael 's feature debut , Toto le héros -LRB- 1991 -RRB- , was an immediate hit and won the Caméra d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival .   Five years later Van Dormael was among the prizes again at Cannes with Le huitième jour -LRB- 1996 -RRB- , when his two leading actors , Daniel Auteuil and Pascal Duquenne , were jointly awarded the prize for Best Actor . His third feature film , Mr. Nobody -LRB- 2009 -RRB- , received further critical acclaim and many accolades , winning six Magritte Awards , including Best Film and Best Director .