And why the story of Adolf Daens is returning to cinema screens across Belgium in 2026.
A man ahead of his time
In the textile city of Aalst, in late 19th-century Belgium, working men, women, and children toiled in dangerous factories for poverty wages. They had no political voice, no union protections, and little hope of change. The Catholic Church, which might have championed their cause, instead aligned itself with the wealthy bourgeoisie who profited from their labour.
Into this world stepped Father Augustin Adolphe “Adolf” Daens, a priest who chose the poor over the powerful, and paid dearly for it.
Born in Aalst on 18 December 1839 and dying in the same city on 14 June 1907, Adolf Daens spent his life fighting for workers’ rights, social justice, and the dignity of the Flemish poor. Today, more than a century after his death, his story continues to resonate, and is once again reaching a new generation through the re-release of the landmark 1992 film Daens.
Early life and the path to the priesthood
Adolf Daens was a native of Aalst, a city in East Flanders that would become the setting for both his greatest triumphs and his deepest struggles. He attended the Jesuit college in his hometown before entering the Society of Jesus in 1858. His relationship with the Jesuits was not permanent, however, and he left the order in 1871.
After departing the Jesuits, Daens went on to be ordained a diocesan priest for the Diocese of Ghent in 1873. He served as a curate in Sint-Niklaas and Kruishoutem, and also taught at colleges in Oudenaarde and Dendermonde. These years gave him close contact with ordinary Flemish working people, and a clear view of the hardships they endured.
A priest transformed by injustice
It was the publication of Pope Leo XIII’s encyclical Rerum Novarum in 1891 that crystallised Daens’s thinking. This landmark church document addressed the condition of the working classes and affirmed the rights of workers to fair wages and decent treatment. It was a bold statement at a time when industrialisation was generating vast wealth for the few at the expense of the many.
For Adolf Daens, the encyclical was not merely an abstract theological document. It was a call to action. He had witnessed first-hand the exploitation of textile workers in Aalst. This included child labour, dangerous conditions, starvation wages, and a political system in which the poor had no vote and no voice. He resolved to do something about it.
He began writing columns for the local Catholic press, criticising working conditions and calling for reform. The response was immediate: workers listened, and the powerful were furious.
Adolf Daens builds a political movement
Rather than retreat, Daens pressed forward. In 1893, he founded the Christene Volkspartij (Christian People’s Party); Belgium’s first Christian democratic political party. His platform emphasised the social problems of the time and linked them to concrete demands for welfare provisions. He also championed a specifically Flemish political programme, aiming to create better conditions for the Dutch-speaking working population in a country where French dominated the halls of power.
In 1894, Adolf Daens was elected as a member of the Belgian parliament. This was a remarkable achievement for a priest going against the wishes of both his church and the political establishment. He would serve again from 1902 to 1906, representing first Aalst and later Brussels.
In parliament, Daens wasted no time in challenging the status quo. He clashed repeatedly with the conservative Catholic leader Charles Woeste, and at times sought common cause with socialist politicians on behalf of the workers he represented. The Christene Volkspartij, though operating from outside the mainstream, succeeded in pushing the Catholic Party toward greater social awareness and democratic reform.
The Church strikes back
Daens’s political activism was not welcomed by the institutional Church. His insistence on challenging the Catholic Party (the party supported by the bishops) put him on a collision course with his ecclesiastical superiors. In 1898, his bishop condemned his activities, and in 1899, Daens was formally stripped of his priestly faculties.
It was a dramatic moment of reckoning: Daens was forced to choose between his vocation and his convictions. He chose the people he had promised to serve.
He continued his political work even after his suspension, remaining in parliament and keeping his movement alive. He lived out his remaining years in Aalst, continuing as the symbolic leader of the Daensist movement until his death on 14 June 1907.
Legacy and posthumous rehabilitation
The legacy Adolf Daens left behind was profound and far-reaching. He is credited as a major figure in the history of Belgian trade unionism and the broader Flemish movement. His insistence on giving a political voice to Flemish workers who had been marginalised by a French-speaking elite helped lay the groundwork for the social and linguistic rights that Flemish Belgians would later secure.
But it took more than a century for the Church to formally acknowledge the injustice done to him. On 6 June 2015, a full 108 years after his death, Adolf Daens received posthumous rehabilitation from the Catholic Church. The Archbishop of Brussels attended a ceremony and offered words of repair, acknowledging that the bishops of Daens’s time had failed him.
“In his struggle for the poor people, he always maintained his faith and remained true to the teachings of the Church. The priest waged a good fight for the workers, who were shamefully exploited.”
Monsignor André-Joseph Léonard, the Archbishop of Mechelen-Brussels
From history to cultural icon
Daens never faded from Flemish public memory. In 1971, the celebrated Belgian novelist Louis Paul Boon published a landmark book titled Pieter Daens (named after Adolf’s brother, who narrates the story) which brought the tale of the Aalst workers to a new literary audience. The book’s full title, translated, is “Pieter Daens, or How the Workers of Aalst Fought Poverty and Injustice in the 19th Century.”
The novel served as the basis for a theatrical adaptation in 1979, and later became the source material for the film that cemented Daens’s place in Belgian cultural life.
The Film: Daens (1992)
Director Stijn Coninx’s 1992 film Daens stands as one of the most celebrated works ever produced in Belgian cinema. Set in Aalst in the 1890s, it brings to vivid life the struggle Daens waged on behalf of the city’s textile workers.
Jan Decleir delivers a towering performance in the title role, portraying Daens as a dynamic, passionate, and morally courageous figure who would not be silenced by the Church or the bourgeoisie. The film traces his arc from parish priest writing newspaper columns to elected parliamentarian, and the personal cost that path extracted.
The production was ambitious. Filming took place not only in Belgium but also in Poland, where factories better resembled the industrial Aalst of the 1890s, and in Italy, for scenes set at the Vatican. The film also features notable supporting performances from Michaël Pas and Antje De Boeck, who won Best Belgian Actress at the Joseph Plateau Awards for her role. Attentive viewers will also spot a young Matthias Schoenaerts, now an internationally acclaimed actor, in a small role as Wannes Scholiers. His father, the late Julien Schoenaerts, plays the role of Bishop Stillemans.
Daens was a phenomenon in Belgium. Audiences flocked to see it. It won four Belgian Joseph Plateau Awards, including Best Film, Best Director, Best Actor, and Best Actress. Jan Decleir was nominated for Best Actor at the European Film Awards and won Best Actor at the Shanghai International Film Festival. Stijn Coninx won a directing award at the Venice Film Festival.
And then came Hollywood. In 1993, Daens became the first Flemish film to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. The Oscar ultimately went elsewhere, but the nomination alone placed Belgian filmmaking on the world map.
The film’s impact on Belgian society was immense. Schools screened it. Students wrote essays about it. Coninx was even made a baron in recognition of the film’s cultural contribution. Daens became the kind of national touchstone that a country with a small film industry rarely produces.
Back on the big screen: the 2026 re-release
Now, more than three decades after its original release, Daens is returning to Belgian cinemas.
A restored version of the film, prepared in 2017, is being given a full theatrical re-release in 2026. The initiative was driven by young people who approached director Stijn Coninx last year with the idea. Coninx, who will attend screenings across Flanders to take questions from audiences, has welcomed the project with enthusiasm.
The restoration addresses the natural deterioration that had affected the original print. As Coninx explains, the colours had faded over the decades (“like with old photos”) but the restored version brings the film back to its intended visual quality. With all cinemas now equipped with digital projection, the 2017 restoration can be shown as it was always meant to be seen: on a large screen, in its full cinematic glory.
The timing is key. The re-release comes as the Oscars season draws to a close, honouring the film’s historic nomination 33 years ago. It also celebrates the 80th birthday of Jan Decleir, whose portrayal of Daens remains one of the defining performances in Flemish cinema.
The avant-première of the restored film took place at Cinema Palace in Brussels on 10 March 2026, with a general release across Belgium from Wednesday, 11 March.
A personal note: Watching Daens in 2026
The full-length film is also currently available to watch legally on YouTube or other streaming channels, and if you have not yet seen it, there is no excuse not to. Having watched it recently, what struck me immediately is how little it feels like a period piece. Yes, the setting is unmistakably 19th-century Aalst, such as the cobblestones, the factory floors, and the smoke-grey poverty, but the moral urgency felt very 21st century. This is a gripping, fast-moving film. Coninx keeps the pacing tight throughout its two-plus hours, and Jan Decleir commands every scene he is in, bringing Daens to life not as a plaster saint but as a man of fire, frustration, and unshakeable conviction. The supporting cast matches him superbly. The film earns every one of its accolades, not through prestige or sentiment, but through sheer filmmaking quality. Watching it, I found it easy to understand why young French audiences at a Paris screening came away moved by a story they had never heard. Daens is simply a great film. See it.
Why Adolf Daens still matters
When Stijn Coninx was asked why this story remains relevant in 2026, his answer was direct:
“The story remains highly relevant because solidarity is its central theme. We live in a world where consideration for others is increasingly fading into the background. Decisions, including those made by political leaders, are too often taken out of self-interest, without sufficient attention being paid to their consequences for others.”
Those words could have been spoken in Daens’s own time. The priest who gave up everything to stand beside Aalst’s exploited workers is not just a figure from history. He is a reminder of what it looks like when a person of conscience refuses to be silent.
Adolf Daens is a worthy addition to my series on Famous Belgians.
I created Discovering Belgium in 2011 to share the country’s hidden stories, fascinating places, and remarkable people. Through articles, photography, and audio walks, I share discoveries that reveal Belgium beyond the obvious. Hope you enjoy this site.
Denzil, thanks for featuring the story of Father Adolf Daens. He was truly a follower of Jesus. Perhaps, Netflix may one day feature the Belgium movie of his life with English subtitles.