Dirk Beliën first studied Law at the University of Antwerp. Soon he switched to the RITS, one of Flanders' film schools. Once he finished his studies, Beliën started out as a professional copywriter. In 1993 he settled as a freelance copywriter. From that moment on he returned to his first love: film. "Jingle Bells", the first script Beliën wrote, was nominated at a VRT Scriptwriting contest in 1993. It allowed him to follow the workshop "Scriptwriting" given by Robert McKee. Afterwards Beliën managed to get his winning script filmed. It took him three years to find the necessary funds. Beliën wrote and directed his second short Black Coffee in 1997. His third short film, Fait d'Hiver, was released in the fall of 2001 and was nominated for an Oscar in 2003.