Dirk made his first television reports, in Central America, for Norwegian and Swiss television. From 1983 until his death, Dirk and his regular cameraman Jan Van Bilsen made several television documentaries in which the ordinary person was central. 
From 1987, Dirk was the Flemish public broadcaster BRT's correspondent in Latin America. 
As an independent reporter and documentary maker, he worked for the Spanish TV3, the Dutch Ikon TV and VPRO and the Flemish BRT (reports for radio and television newsreels and editorial current affairs programmes such as ‘Panorama’, ‘Ter Zake’, ‘NV De Wereld’ and ‘Kwesties’). His work could be seen virtually all over the world and his documentaries were awarded numerous prizes.
In 1986 Dirk was awarded the Gran Coral at the International Film Festival in Havana, Cuba, for his documentary A su Nombre, about evangelical sects in Honduras and Guatemala.
In 1995 his documentary Vervlogen dromen, about the Malecon, the seafront promenade of Havana, was awarded a special mention in the category ‘Grands Réportages et Faits de Société’ at the FIPA in Biarritz (France).
- A special mention in the category `Grands Réportages et Faits de Société', FIPA, Biarritz, France (1996)
- The Prix Pierre-Alain Donnier, Rencontres Médias Nord-Sud, Geneva, Switzerland (1996)
- The Silver Medianet Award, Munich, Germany (1996)
- The Premios Ondas, Barcelona, Spain (1996)
- The Silver World Medal in the category ‘Community Portraits’, New York Festival, USA (1997)
- The Silver Hugo Award in the category socio-political documentaries, International Television Film Festival, Chicago, USA (1997)
- selected for HOTDOCS, Toronto, Canada (1997)
- nominated at the 22nd International Film Festival, Hong Kong (1998) 
In his last documentary Magic City (1998) Dirk followed a number of the inhabitants of Mexico City. In 1999 this documentary won him his second Silver Hugo Award.
