Heleen Declercq studied documentary filmmaking at RITCS School of Arts in Brussels. She graduated in 2017 with her short film Girlhood, which was selected for Film Fest Gent and Sheffield DocFest, and won Best Documentary at the International Short Film Festival Leuven. Since graduating, she has worked across documentary, fiction, and commercial projects, bringing those core observational instincts into every format. Her visual approach is deeply inspired by photography, referencing figures like Harry Gruyaert and Dana Lixenberg. She continues to chase what drew her to filmmaking in the first place: a sense of authenticity, capturing people and moments that feel unstaged and genuine, with a strong focus on identity and social themes. Today, she splits her time between commissioned work and developing her own original projects.