Debrauwer fell in love with film as a young boy. When he was fifteen, he made his first short film. Afterwards, he joined a local film club. After his parents bought him a Super 8 camera, he made many amateur films and won may awards. The next logical step was to study photography and later film. He made several short films, such as as the acclaimed Leonie (1997), which was produced by his company Gateway, Testament (1997), and an intimate film about his grandmother and grandfather Dichten... wat is dichten dan? (1999). His only two feature films are Pauline et Paulette (2001), which won the Belgian award for Best Director and Screenplay Joseph Plateau, and Sweet Jam (Confituur, 2004).