The Dardenne brothers have won a prestigious award on the Croisette for their film ‘Young Mothers’, which was shortlisted for the Palme d'Or.
Accustomed to climbing the steps of the Palais des Festivals, the two filmmakers from Engis in the Liège region can pride themselves on belonging to the very exclusive club of directors to have won the Palme d'Or twice, thanks to "Rosetta" (1999) and "L'Enfant" (2005).
In addition to the two Palmes d'Or, the Belgian duo have already won six major prizes in recent years: the Prix d'interprétation féminine for Emilie Dequenne for ‘Rosetta’ in 1999, the Prix d'interprétation masculine for Olivier Gourmet in ‘Le Fils’ in 2002, the Prix du scénario for ‘Le Silence de Lorna’ in 2008, the Grand Prix for ‘Le Gamin au vélo’ in 2011, the Prix de la mise en scène for ‘Le Jeune Ahmed’ in 2019 and a special prize for the 75th edition of the festival for ‘Tori et Lokita’ in 2022.
In this, their tenth feature film in the official competition at Cannes, the Belgian duo tell the story of five young women living in a home that helps them through their lives as young mothers.
Young Mothers‘ has already won the Ecumenical Prize for its touching tone, with the six-member jury from different cultures and countries saying: ’This film illustrates an ethical approach not through grand demonstrations but through kind gestures. It is a story told with gentleness in the best tradition of the authors who, once again, are able to bring novelty to their refined style".
This thirteenth feature film in their career also won the Ecoprod Prize, in recognition of their eco-responsible approach to filming, as well as the Prix du Cinéma Positif for ‘a cinema that raises awareness, alerts, questions the film industry and puts art at the service of a fairer and more inclusive society’.
Well done to the Dardenne brothers for continuing to promote Belgian cinema on the international stage!
