Jean Harlez (1924-2026)

Belgian filmmaker Jean Harlez passed away on 15 May 2026 at the age of 101. Born in Erquelinnes in 1924, he moved to Brussels after the Second World War, where he learned the craft of filmmaking while assisting Belgian cinema pioneer Charles Dekeukeleire. Harlez became best known for Le Chantier des Gosses (1956), widely regarded as the first Belgian neorealist film. Entirely self-produced and made with a self-built camera, the film portrayed the resistance of working-class children in Brussels’ Marolles district against urban redevelopment in the 1950s. Though long overlooked, the film was rediscovered and restored by Cinema Nova, which helped return Harlez’s work to public attention in recent years. Together with his companion Marcelle Dumont, journalist, writer, and close collaborator, who wrote many of the dialogues for his films, Jean Harlez remains an important figure in Belgian cinema history. In March 2026, the couple received the distinction of "Chevalier de l'Ordre de Léopold."