Lionel Goldstein

Lionel Goldstein is the alias of Belgian directing duo Koen Mortier and Joe Vanhoutteghem, co-founders of CZAR Brussels. In 2001, they created Lionel as a separate creative identity, distinct from their individual directing careers. Adopting an absurd, near-documentary style, Lionel quickly gained international recognition.

Lionel’s signature style is absurd, melancholic, and humorous but always believable and relevant. He often rewrites original scripts, infusing them with emotional depth and his unique perspective. His work spans a diverse range of bold, witty films that continue to add an unmistakable edge to the international advertising landscape.

His journey in advertising has been marked by a series of prestigious awards. In 2002 and 2003, he won his first Golden Lions at the Cannes Advertising Festival for the FRISK and XBOX campaigns, working with Wieden+Kennedy London and BBH London. Later that year, he was honored with the BTAA Best Director Award, one of the highest honours for a commercial director, and took home Gold at Eurobest for the De Morgen film Cocaine.

The success continued. In 2005, Lionel won another Gold Lion at Cannes for DEXIA’s Braille. Later in 2013, he earned a Bronze Lion for Canal Digital’s The Most Fertile Woman in the World. Then, in 2021, he claimed his fourth Golden Lion for the Equal Pay Day film Eternal Pregnancy.

More recent years have brought further recognition. The Umbilical Cord (2022) and It’s Handy to Have a Dick(2023), both created with mortierbrigade for Equal Pay Day, was highly praised. The winning streak carried into 2024, when Lionel secured a fifth Golden Lion for Axe’s The Robbery, made with LOLA MullenLowe. That same year, he also took home a Silver Lion in Film Craft – Best Direction for Film Fest Gent 2023 and a Bronze Lion in Film Craft – Casting for The Robbery. In total, Lionel Goldstein has won an impressive 18 Cannes Lions since the beginning of his career.