Van Dormael made his feature-length debut in 1991 with "Toto le héros" ("Toto the hero"), a tale about a man who believes his life was "stolen" from him when he was switched at birth, told in a complex mosaic of flashbacks and dream sequences, sometimes with almost a stream of consciousness effect. "Toto le héros" was ten years in the making as Van Dormael rewrote the script at least eight times. In 1985, two Belgian producers read a version of the script, and over the next five years they raised about $3.5 million, a huge amount for a Belgian production, all in public money from Belgium, the European Community and state television in France and Germany. Van Dormael premiered "Toto le héros" at the 1991 Cannes Film Festival, where it won the Camera d'Or. The film was released to the public later that year. Reviewing the film, "The New York Times" called him "a bright new talent to celebrate". It won five Joseph Plateau Awards, the César Award for Best Foreign Film, four European Film Awards, the André Cavens Award, and received a BAFTA nomination. Pierre Van Dormael's composed the soundtrack for the film, and since their first collaboration in 1980, he has composed the music to all his brother's films. "Toto le héros" propelled Van Dormael into the international spotlight as both a writer and director.