Wessel van Wanrooij (Tilburg, 1997) is a Brabantian writer and director. His work is characterized by dark humor and tragic absurdities.

In 2017 he completed the Open Studio orientation year. After that he studied Directing Fiction at the Netherlands Film Academy in Amsterdam. Here Wessel experimented extensively in the search for his voice as a maker. For example, in his third year he made the Swedish spy thriller Krigshjältar (2021) and with his graduation film About a Priest on Rain Boots (2022) he investigated how to guarantee emotional involvement in an absurd story.

To further develop his skills, he also made a film outside the course every academic year. For example, in 2018 he took part in De Ontmoeting with Sean Louw with the film Het Begin en het Einde. In 2021, his short film Männer Ouni Virnimm premiered at the Netherlands Film Festival in Utrecht.

Part from making films and commercials, Wessel is a teacher and coach in filmmaking at Fontys Hogeschool and the Open Studio in Amsterdam. He also volunteers in a nursing home and can often be found in his darkroom.