Born in The Hague, The Netherlands. Son of a prison guard. Attended several film schools in Sittard (The Netherlands), Brussels (Belgium) and the Dutch Film And Television Academy (The Netherlands). Graduated with the short movie De Orde Der Dingen (1996). Koolhoven has a relationship with Dutch writer/director 'Tallulah Schwab' since 1993. They've got two children. The first film he made after graduating from the Dutch Film Academy was _Duister Licht (1997)_, starring a young Dutch actor/writer/director Marc van Uchelen , who was in his class at the Academy, and is a close personal friend. Producer Emjay Rechsteiner asked Koolhoven to direct the Television Feature Suzy Q (1999) , a script by Frouke Fokkema. This film was awarded both in Holland and abroad. His cinema debut is _AmnesiA (2001)_ that got a small release in the USA. He has been constantly making feature films ever since. In 2005 he made his first mainstream movie and it became a big success, both in Holland and abroad. He started making movies that were more accessible for a large audiences, which resulted in box office success. Yet Koolhoven is still loved by the critics and his movies play in festivals around the world.
