Coninxis a Belgium director and screenplay writer. He became interested in film as a young boy through his father, a photographer, and adored Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton. He studied film directing in Bruxelles, and as his graduate opus he made the documentary Servais (1980). Following this he made the short film Surfing (1982), after which he worked as an assistant director for several years. He made his first feature film, Hector in 1987. His other films include Koko flanel (1990), Daens (1993), for which he received the Joseph Plateau award for Best Director, (the Belgian equivalent of the French Cesar Award), and When the Light Comes (1998) and Verder dan de maan (2003).