Karim Ouelhaj
OKAYSS Founder
Karim Ouelhaj is an author, director and producer.
His first feature, PARABOLA, was noticed in 2005 in Venice with an official selection at Giornati degli Autori Venice days. It also won the Federico Fellini Award in 2006 at Tiburon (USA). PARABOLA is the first part of a societal triptych that includes MONKEY DUST (Le Repas Du Singe) in 2013 (best female performance in Rome), and A REALITY EVERY SECOND (Une Réalité Par Seconde) in 2015.
Meanwhile, Karim Ouelhaj also directed an experimental and muscial movie around the Belgian rock band FRANK SHINOBI in 2010.
In 2016, his fantasy short film THE FROZEN EYE (L’oeil Silencieux) won the Grand Prix and the Méliès d’argent for its Premiere at BIFFF (Belgium), followed by numerous selections and awards (in the UK, Brazil, Sweden, Belgium and the USA), including the prestigious Méliès d’Or.
In 2017 he realeased, as well as a DVD box set of a big part if his filmography, his last short : TUNDRA a societal critique with an offbeat sense of humour, which won awards in England and Belarus.
MEGALOMANIAC, a horror film inspired by the case of the Butcher of Mons, is his fourth feature film. It received 20 awards, including the Cheval Noir for Best Film at Fantasia for its world premiere in 2022, and 47 festival selections worldwide.
MEGALOMANIAC
MEGALOMANIAC (2022)
- Best Feature Award – Cheval Noir – Fantasia – Canada 2022
- Outstanding Performance Award – Fantasia – Canada 2022
- Best Film – Monsters Taranto – Italy 2022
- Best Cinematography – Grimmfest – United Kingdom 2022
- Best Score – Grimmfest – United Kingdom 2022
- Special Mention: Best Performance – Grimmfest – United Kingdom 2022
- Best Performance – Brooklyn Horror – United States 2022
- Best Performance – Terror Molins – Spain 2022
- Best Performance – Isla Calavera Film Festival – Spain 2022
- Special Mention: Best Film – Isla Calavera Film Festival – Spain 2022
- Best Photography – Soho Horror Film Festival – United Kingdom 2022
- Best Film – Fantasporto – Portugal 2023
- Best Director – Fantasporto – Portugal 2023
- Best Actress – Fantasporto – Portugal 2023
- Best Actress – Sombra – Spain 2023
- Best Film – Horrorant – Greece 2023
- Best Cinematography – Horrorant – Greece 2023
- Best Film – Grossmann – Slovenia 2023
- Best Film – Slaughter Festival – Serbia 2023
- Best horror Film – Macabro Film Festival – Mexico 2023
Festivals: Fantasia (Canada – 2022), BIFFF (Belgium – 2022), Sydney Underground Film Festival (Australia – 2022), Fantasy Film Festival (Germany – 2022), Slash Film Festival (Austria – 2022), Festival Européen du Film Fantastique de Strasbourg (France – 2022), Monsters of Film (Sweden – 2022), Grimmfest (UK – 2022), Sitges Film Festival (Spain – 2022), Brooklyn Horror Film Festival (USA – 2022), ASNIFF (France – 2022), Celluloid Scream (UK – 2022), Terror Molins (Spain – 2022), Tohorror (Italy – 2022), Imagine (The Netherlands – 2022), Französische Filmtage Tübingen – Stuttgart (Germany – 2022), Telluride Horror Show (USA – 2022), Razor Reel (Belgium – 2022), Soho Horror Film Festival (UK – 2022), Melbourne Monster Fest (Australia – 2022), Monsters Taranto Horror (Italy – 2022) – Morbido (Mexico – 2022), Étrange festival Clermont-Ferrand (France – 2022), Night visions (Finland – 2022) – Official Competition, Isla Calavera (Spain/ Canaries – 2022), Buenos Aires Rojo Sangre (Argentina – 2022), Fantasporto (Portugal – 2023) – Official Competition, Shockproof Film Festival (Czech Republic – 2023), Sombra (Spain – 2023), Phoenix Film Festival (USA – 2023), Brugg horror Film Festival (Switzerland – 2023), 2300 Plan 9 festival (Switzerland – 2023), Fantaspoa (Brazil – 2023), Grindhouse paradise (France – 2023 – 2023), Panic Fest (USA – 2023), HORRORANT (Grèce – 2023), Cinéma interdit (France – 2023), Dark Bridges (Canada – 2023), Grossmann (Slovenia – 2023), Slaughter Fest (Serbia – 2023), Macabro FILM festival (Mexico – 2023), BUT Film Festival (Netherlands – 2023), Aaarg Film Festival (Belgium – 2023),…
TUNDRA
TUNDRA (Short/2017)
- Director’s Choice Award – Indie Flicks – UK 2017
- Grand Prix – Short Movie Club Film Festival – Belarus 2018
Festivals: Indie Flicks (UK), OffScreen Liege (Belgium-2017), iChill Manilla International Film Fest / Nominee: Audience Award (Philippines-2017), Festival Internacional Buñuel Calanda / Selection Avant-Garde (Spain-2017), Festival Court-Métrange (France-2017), Festival Européen du Film Court de Brest / OVNI competition (France-2017), Courts Mais Trash (Belgium-2018), Short Movie Club Film Festival (Belarus-2018), Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival (Belgium-2018), L’Étrange Festival (France-2018)
Film Festival (Belgium – 2023),…
L'ŒIL SILENCIEUX
THE FROZEN EYE / L’ŒIL SILENCIEUX (Short/2016)
- Méliès d’Or – Lund International Fantastic Film Festival – Sweden 2016
- Méliès d’Argent – Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival – Belgium 2016
- Grand Prix – Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival – Belgium 2016
- Dark Owls International Fantasy Short Film – Leeds International Film Festival – UK 2016
- Best International Short Film – Buffalo Dreams Fantastic Film Festival – USA 2016
- Best Foreign Drama Short – Atlanta Horror Film Festival – USA 2017
- Melhor Curta De Terror- Rock Horror in Rio Film Festival – Brazil 2018
‘Coup de Cœur’ of Short Film Corner – Festival de Cannes 2016,
Selection: eligible at Magritte 2017 and nominee at Sabam Awards 2016.
Festivals: BIFFF – Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival, (Belgium-2016); Le Court en dit Long (France-2016), Palm Springs International Shortfest (USA-2016), Harlem International Film (USA-2016), Tohorror Film Fest (Italy-2016), Festival Court-Métrange (France-2016), Screamfest Horror Film Festival (USA-2016), La Nuit Du Court (Switzerland-2016), Buffalo Dreams Fantastic Film Festival (USA-2016), European Fantastic Film Festival / Lund International Fantastic film Festival (Sweden-2016), Leeds International Film Festival (UK), Directors circle Festival of Shorts (USA-2016-2016), BE Film Festival (Belgium), OffScreen Liege (Belgium – 2017), New Jersey horror Con & Film Festival (USA – 2017), International Kortfilmfestival Kalmhout (Belgium-2017), Atlanta Horror Film Festival (USA-2017), Rock Horror in Rio Film Festival (Brazil-2018), Obscura Film Festival Hannover (Germany-2018), Filmets Badalona Film Festival (Catalonia, Spain-2018), Semaine des Cinémas Étrangers (France-2019)
UNE RÉALITÉ PAR SECONDE
A REALITY EVERY SECOND / UNE RÉALITÉ PAR SECONDE (2015)
- Honorable Mention – Los Angeles Underground Film Forum – USA 2016
- Bronze of Best Feature – 12M Film Festival – Romania 2016
Festivals: Brazilian International Labour Film Festival (São Paulo-2015), Portobello Film Festival (London-2015), Brasília International Film Festival (Brasilia-2015), Wiper Film Festival (USA-2015), Französische Filmtage Tübingen (Germany-2015), Rome Independent Film Festival (Italy-2016), 12 Months Film Festival (Romania-2016)
LE REPAS DU SINGE
MONKEY DUST / LE REPAS DU SINGE (2013)
- Best female performance : Maryse Dinsart – Cinemaavenir Film Festival – Italy 2014
Festivals: Raindance Film Festival (UK-2013), International Human Rights Festival (Albania-2013), Festival Gay et Lesbien (Belgium-2013), Portobello Film Festival (UK-2014), Overlook 2014 5th CinemAvenir Film Festival of Roma (Italy-2014)
FRANK SHINOBI
PARABOLA
PARABOLA (2005)
- Federico Fellini Award – Tiburon International Film Festival – USA 2006
Festivals: Giornati degli Autori (Journée des auteurs) – Venice Days (Italy-2005), Festival El Ojo Cojo de Madrid (Spain-2005), Festival International du film d’Amiens (France-2005), Festival International du Film Francophone de Namur (Belgium-2005), Tiburon International Film Festival
