Oscar-qualified Belgian filmmaker Luka Galle opens up about loneliness, feeling invisible in society and how his deeply personal experiences inspired an imaginative and moving short film.
What if the very things we cannot see are the ones that understand us best? It is an extraordinary question at the heart of THE CATCHER, the Oscar-qualified Belgian short film from writer and director Luka Galle, whose beautifully unusual story about invisible birds has become a moving exploration of loneliness, belonging and the universal human need to feel seen. With 11 awards across 23 international festival appearances, THE CATCHER has established itself as a distinctive entry in this year’s Oscar-qualified short-film field. Yet behind its surreal premise lies something far more personal: a filmmaker’s own experience of struggling to find his place in the world.
“Much of the film is inspired by my own life. I’ve often felt unseen, struggling to find my place in society as a gay man and gradually withdrawing from it,” Galle reveals. “Robin feels close to me in this sense. He tries to cope with depression by immersing himself in work, finding comfort and purpose in something that may not be what he truly needs.”
The film follows Robin, played by Emil Leysen, a lonely young man employed by the government to capture invisible birds. Trapped in an endless routine, Robin finds an unexpected connection with the very creatures he has been ordered to catch. As his relationship with them deepens, he begins to question the rules governing his existence and confront the loneliness that has quietly consumed his life. For Galle, the invisible birds represent the people who are so often overlooked or misunderstood. “They also represent the lonely people in our society who often go unnoticed, people who exist on the margins and whom others don’t really see.”
It is a simple yet powerful metaphor for the millions of people who walk through life feeling invisible, struggling silently with loneliness, depression or the feeling that they do not belong. Galle believes that loneliness is particularly complex in a society where digital communication has become almost constant. “We can share almost anything about ourselves with the world, yet still struggle to feel understood by the people closest to us.” His observation captures one of the film’s most affecting themes: being surrounded by people does not necessarily mean feeling connected to them. Sometimes the deepest loneliness comes not from being alone, but from feeling that nobody truly understands who you are.
The origins of THE CATCHER were surprisingly modest. Galle and cinematographer Gilles Mosar initially discussed making a short film on Super 8 about a character travelling between locations to carry out a seemingly meaningless task. The image of someone hearing birdsong from an empty cage eventually inspired the idea of invisible birds. What began as an experimental filmmaking concept gradually evolved into a story about isolation, freedom and the courage to change. Galle deliberately avoids turning the birds into frightening or fantastical spectacles, instead portraying them as vulnerable creatures who, like Robin, exist outside the expectations of the world around them.
“These birds cannot simply be captured or possessed; they have to be approached with patience, curiosity, and a willingness to understand them on their own terms,” Galle explains. It is through this unexpected relationship that Robin begins to recognise what has been missing from his own life. The birds offer him something he has struggled to find among other people: companionship without judgement. “The bird doesn’t judge him, and in many ways, it is the easiest and most accessible connection Robin can make.” That emotional connection gives the film its extraordinary tenderness. Beneath the surreal imagery is a recognisable story about how compassion, even in the most unexpected circumstances, can become the first step towards healing.
Galle’s filmmaking approach is equally distinctive. Shot entirely on Super 8, THE CATCHER combines a nostalgic visual texture with an otherwise familiar world. Rather than relying on elaborate special effects, the director wanted the extraordinary to exist almost unnoticed within everyday life. “I like exploring realistic themes through a world that contains just one small fantastic element, something that turns the characters’ lives upside down, while the world itself remains familiar and recognisable.” Sound plays a crucial role in making the invisible birds believable. Galle recorded a real canary singing, chirping and flapping its wings, then used those recordings to create the impression of a conversation between Robin and an unseen creature. “Emil, who portrays Robin, did an amazing job acting towards an empty cage,” Galle recalls. The result is an imaginative piece of filmmaking that trusts its audience rather than overwhelming them with visual effects.
The film also represents an important turning point in Galle’s own life. After studying audiovisual arts at the Academy of Fine Arts in Bruges, he initially moved away from filmmaking before rediscovering his passion during the pandemic. He subsequently established production company LUKASCOPE and built a career directing music videos and commercials, creating more than 25 music videos since 2020. His return to filmmaking was not simply a professional decision but a deeply personal act of reclaiming a part of himself that had been missing. “A few years ago, I made a similar choice, returning to filmmaking after drifting into a life I was no longer happy with,” he explains. That experience became central to Robin’s journey, with both filmmaker and character confronting the difficult realisation that remaining somewhere familiar is not necessarily the same as being happy.
Together with Mosar, Galle independently financed THE CATCHER, taking a considerable risk on an unconventional story with no guarantee of finding an audience. “I was genuinely afraid we weren’t going to get into a single festival,” he admits. Those fears have since given way to an impressive international festival journey. THE CATCHER has received 11 awards across 23 festival appearances, including the Golden Hypatia Award for Best International Fiction Film at Egypt’s Alexandria International Short Film Festival, which secured its Academy Award qualification. Other honours include Best Cinematography at Brussels Short Film Festival, Best Sci-Fi/Fantasy Film at Beeston Film Festival, and Best Short Film, Best Director and Best Actor at Lytham International Film Festival. Alongside Leysen, the cast includes acclaimed Belgian actress Mieke De Groote, Kris Cuppens and Damla Cengiz. The film features cinematography by Gilles Mosar and an original score by award-winning Belgian composer Ruben De Gheselle.
For Galle, entering the Oscar race is more than a career milestone. It has helped him overcome some of the doubts that accompanied his transition from commercial filmmaking into narrative storytelling. “Imposter syndrome can hit me hard sometimes. But having such a great run with my first short film has given me the confidence to keep pursuing filmmaking and doing what I love most: making films.” His honesty makes his journey particularly inspiring. Here is a filmmaker who once questioned whether his unusual story would ever find an audience, now discovering that the very experiences that made him feel different are helping people across the world connect with his work.
Galle is already developing a feature-length expansion of THE CATCHER, exploring the darker implications of the fictional society he has created, including questions about conformity, authority and the pressure to belong. Yet it is the emotional heart of the short film that remains most memorable. Rather than wanting audiences to leave the cinema debating its symbolism, Galle hopes the film will offer something quieter and more meaningful. “I wanted the film to feel like a warm blanket for those who do not feel seen in our current society and changing world.”
There is something deeply beautiful about that ambition. In an industry where success is so often measured through awards, box office figures and recognition, Galle is interested in something much more intimate: the possibility that a stranger might watch his film and feel a little less alone. “I hope the film can offer some kind of comfort to those who feel the same way or recognise themselves in Robin,” he says. “That’s what cinema can do: connect with people who might not otherwise feel seen, in a way that feels accessible and genuine.”
Perhaps that is why THE CATCHER feels so relevant. It reminds us that loneliness is not always visible, that the people around us may be fighting battles we know nothing about, and that even the smallest act of compassion can make an extraordinary difference. The film also carries an important message about finding the courage to change one’s circumstances, even when doing so means abandoning everything familiar. “Making a change is never easy, especially when it means stepping away from something that feels safe and familiar,” Galle reflects. “But sometimes, the very thing that makes you feel safe is also what’s holding you back.”
THE CATCHER is a beautifully imaginative and deeply human reminder that everyone deserves to be seen, understood and valued. Through the unlikely relationship between a lonely man and an invisible bird, Luka Galle has created a story that speaks to anyone who has ever felt overlooked, misunderstood or uncertain of their place in the world. As the film continues its Oscar journey, its greatest achievement may not be the awards it has collected, but the emotional connection it has created with audiences across cultures and borders.
For a filmmaker who once felt invisible himself, there is something particularly poignant about creating a film that encourages the world to look more closely at those who feel unseen. And in the end, perhaps that is the true magic of THE CATCHER: it takes something invisible and makes us feel it more deeply than anything we can see.
THE CATCHER is Oscar-qualified and continues its international festival and awards campaign.
