A portrait of Nicole van Goethem taken in 1985 with the Annecy Animation Festival Grand Prix for her film A Greek Tragedy. Courtesy of Gerben Schermer.

In Passing

Van Goethem Unexpectedly Passes. On Friday, March 3, 2000, Belgian animation film director and illustrator Nicole van Goethem passed away unexpectedly at the age of 58 in her hometown of Antwerp. The cause of death is unknown. Since 1974, Nicole van Goethem has worked on various animation productions, serving in the background, color selection and special effects fields. Among her credits, she participated in the feature length film Tarzoon produced by Picha. In 1984, Van Goethem received considerable fame with her first short film Een Griekse Tragedie (A Great Tragedy), with which she received many international awards including an Oscar for best animation film in 1987. Van Goethem's drawings have received numerous prizes as well. Just a few weeks ago, she received the prestigious Euprio Prize, for her original adaptation of a well-known guide for universities. At the time of her death, Van Goethem was finishing up her third film, Living Apart Together.