UTA Signs Baloji, Director Of Belgium’s Oscar Pick ‘Omen’

EXCLUSIVE: United Talent Agency (UTA) has signed up Belgium’s buzzy rapper-turned-filmmaker Baloji.

Baloji, who made his directorial debut earlier this year with Omen, has signed with UTA for representation in all areas and will continue to be represented by Juanita Fellag at AS Talents.

Omen debuted at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, where it picked up the New Voice Prize in Un Certain Regard. The pic has also secured 13 nominations from the African Movie Academy Awards, the highest number of nominations from AMAA this year.

Described as a “magical-realist drama” and set in Baloji’s native Congo, the film follows Koffi, a young Congolese man who — after spending years living in Belgium — returns to his birthplace of Kinshasa to confront the intricacies of his family and culture.

A Belgian-Dutch-Congolese-French-South African co-production, Omen stars Marc Zinga, best known for his work with the Dardenne brothers alongside Lucie Debay, Eliane Umuhire, Yves-Marina Gnahoua, and Marcel Otete Kabeya. 

Last month, Belgium announced Omen as its pick for the Best International Feature race at the 2024 Academy Awards. The film was released in Congo earlier this year and will be released in the US by Utopia in 2024. Aya Films is releasing in the UK, Pan Europeenne will release in France, and I Wonder has Italy. Memento is handling sales. 

“When I met the UTA team, I knew it was going to be an easy choice to sign with them,” Baloji said of today’s announcement. “They impressed me with their understanding of my profile and dedication to preserving my vision for magical realist cinema and African diasporic storytelling. I’m looking forward to this relationship and UTA’s commitment to building the next chapter of my career.”

Beyond his work as a filmmaker, Baloji is known as an interdisciplinary artist, costume designer, and musician. His exhibition Augurism inspired by Omen is currently on view at MoMu Gallery Antwerp. A four-part soundtrack for the film, written by Baloji, will be released in tandem with the film’s French release in November. His music has previously been released by Bella Union Records.