The three films from the flat country present in the competition of the 75th Cannes Film Festival were rewarded with different prizes, highlighting the wealth of Belgian talent.
Triumph for Belgium in Cannes! As the 75th edition of the Cannes Film Festival honors Ruben Östlund’s provocative film, Without Filter –Triangle of Sadness in the original version – the Belgians are the other big winners of this competition.
The three flat country works presented during the fortnight leave with their hands full. Lukas Dhont’s second feature film, Close, won the Grand Prix, tied with the French Claire Denis, and her Stars At Noon. This award continues the filmmaker’s beautiful story with Cannes. In 2018, he received the Camera d’or for Girl, a prize that honors the first feature films present in all categories.
In Close, it tells the close friendship of two 13-year-old boys, Léo and Rémi. As soon as they enter college, the duo face indiscreet questions and humiliating words. When Leo decides to break this closeness, the unthinkable happens. Close reveals two great talents, Eden Dabrine and Gustav De Waele, who are taking their first steps on the big screen.
On the evening of its presentation, on May 26, the drama received nearly 12 minutes of applause. One of the longest standing ovations of the competition. The film does not yet have a release date.
One of the other Belgian triumphs of the evening was that of director duo Charlotte Vandermeersch and Felix Van Groeningen for The Eight Mountains. They won the Jury Prize, tied with EO by the Polish Jerzy Skolimowski.
Adapted from the eponymous novel by Paolo Cognetti, this naturalistic drama follows the undying friendship of two men who reunite after years of separation to build a house high in the mountains in honor of the missing father of one of them.
A deeply human film, with breathtaking images, The Eight Mountains marks the first prize for the two filmmakers at the Cannes Film Festival. The feature film will be released in theaters on December 21.
Finally, two winners accustomed to the red carpet and figures of Belgian cinema: Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne. The brothers, holders of two Palmes d’Or – one for Rosetta in 1999 and the other for L’Enfant in 2005 – receive a special prize: that of the 75th anniversary of the Cannes Film Festival for their societal drama Tori and Lokita.
The directors remain faithful to their committed style and tell the story of two teenagers from Africa who face the difficult conditions of their exile in Belgium. A strong film on illegal immigration to be seen in theaters on September 28.