Belgian film director and screenwriter
Lukas Dhont
Born (1991-06-11 ) 11 June 1991 (age 33)
[1] Occupations Years active 2012–present Awards
Full list
Lukas Dhont (born 11 June 1991)
[1] (Dutch:
[ˈlukɑz ˈdɔnt]
[2] ) is a Belgian film director and screenwriter. His debut feature film,
Girl , premiered at the
2018 Cannes Film Festival , where it won the
Caméra d'Or and the
Queer Palm awards. He was featured in
Forbes 30 Under 30 Europe list in 2019. His second feature film,
Close , premiered at the
2022 Cannes Film Festival , where he shared the
Grand Prix with
Claire Denis '
Stars At Noon . In 2023, Close was nominated for the
Academy Award for Best International Feature Film representing Belgium.
Early life
Dhont was born in
Ghent , Belgium.
[3] He attended a
Catholic high school .
[4] As a teenager, Dhont worked as a
costume design assistant on film and television sets.
[5]
His mother is a fashion teacher at an art school.
[5] He has a younger brother, Michiel,
[6] who is two years younger
[7] and works as a producer.
[8] Dhont and Michiel both identify as gay.
[4]
[7]
Career
He made his feature-length debut in 2018 with
Girl , a drama film inspired by the story of Nora Monsecour which focuses on a
trans girl pursuing a career as a
ballerina . Girl premiered at the
2018 Cannes Film Festival , where it won the
Caméra d'Or award for Best First Feature Film, as well as the
Queer Palm .
[9] It received the
André Cavens Award for Best Film given by the
Belgian Film Critics Association and was selected as the Belgian entry for the
Best Foreign Language Film at the
91st Academy Awards .
[10]
[11] It received nine nominations at the
9th Magritte Awards and won four, including
Best Flemish Film and
Best Screenplay for Dhont.
[12]
In 2019, Dhont was featured in
Forbes 30 Under 30 Europe list.
[13]
Dhont's second feature,
Close , starring
Émilie Dequenne and
Léa Drucker , premiered in competition at the
2022 Cannes Film Festival , where he shared the
Grand Prix with
Claire Denis '
Stars At Noon .
[14] It also won the
Sydney Film Prize at the
69th Sydney Film Festival in June 2022.
[15] The film is based on his own experiences at school, and tells the story of a friendship between two boys in their early teens.
[16] In 2023, the film was nominated for the
Academy Award for Best International Feature Film at the
95th Academy Awards .
[17]
In June 2023, Dhont was invited to become a member of the
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences .
[18] In 2024, Dhont presided over the
Queer Palm jury for the
2024 Cannes Film Festival .
[19]
[20]
Filmography
Year
Title
Credited as
Notes
Director
Screenwriter
Cinematographer
Producer
2012
Headlong
Yes
Yes
No
No
Short film
De Lucht in mijn Keel
No
Yes
No
No
Short film
Skin of Glass
Yes
No
Yes
No
Short film
2014
L'Infini
Yes
Yes
No
No
Short film
2018
Girl
Yes
Yes
No
No
2021
Our Nature
Yes
Yes
No
No
Short film
2022
Close
Yes
Yes
No
No
2023
Gun
No
No
No
Yes
Short film
[21]
Awards and nominations
References
^
a
b
c Beekman, Bor (3 November 2022).
"Filmen is niet alleen maar leuk voor regisseur Lukas Dhont, dansen op Britney Spears is dat wel" .
De Volkskrant (in Dutch).
Archived from the original on 21 November 2022. Retrieved 29 June 2023 .
^
"De filmkeuze van Lukas Dhont is Girlhood" .
YouTube . Vrije Universiteit Brussel. 21 May 2021.
Archived from the original on 17 May 2022. Retrieved 17 May 2022 .
^
"Lukas DHONT - Festival de Cannes" . festival-cannes.com .
Archived from the original on 27 November 2022. Retrieved 30 June 2023 .
^
a
b Lukas Dhont and Victor Polster (April 2018).
"Girl Victor Polster x Lukas Dhont" .
Issue Magazine .
Archived from the original on 13 June 2023. Retrieved 12 June 2023 . I had just finished at a very Catholic high school and was going to start film school...During my Catholic high school time, I had been trying to deny a part of myself, more specifically my sexuality, to fit into the group.
^
a
b Bradshaw, Lisa (9 October 2022).
"Telling tales about troubled teenagers" .
Brussels Times .
Archived from the original on 27 November 2022.
^
"Lukas Dhont back in Cannes: "It was to be able to move my mother that I became a filmmaker" " . West Observer . 26 May 2022.
Archived from the original on 27 November 2022. Retrieved 27 November 2022 .
^
a
b Raymond Ang (8 March 2023).
"With His Oscar Nominee Close, Lukas Dhont Makes Art Out Of Coming of Age" .
GQ .
Archived from the original on 13 June 2023. Retrieved 12 June 2023 . Dhont made Close with his brother Michiel as one of the producers. "I am gay [too]," Michiel, who's two years younger than Lukas, tells me.
^ Kemp, Stuart.
"Lukas Dhont on making his second feature 'Close' with producer brother Michiel Dhont" .
ScreenDaily .
Archived from the original on 9 December 2022. Retrieved 27 November 2022 .
^ Debruge, Peter (19 May 2018).
"Japanese Director Hirokazu Kore-eda's 'Shoplifters' Wins Palme d'Or at Cannes" .
Variety .
Archived from the original on 22 May 2018. Retrieved 19 December 2018 .
^
"L'UCC décerne le prix Cavens à GIRL de Lukas Dhont et a annoncé les 5 finalistes pour le Grand Prix 2019" . Cinopsis (in French). 21 December 2018.
Archived from the original on 2 August 2019. Retrieved 25 December 2018 .
^ Tartaglione, Nancy (27 August 2018).
"Oscars: Belgium Selects 'Girl', Cannes' Camera D'Or, As Foreign Language Entry" .
Deadline .
Archived from the original on 27 August 2018. Retrieved 27 August 2018 .
^ Richford, Richford (2 February 2019).
"Belgium's Magritte Awards: 'Our Struggles' Takes Top Prize" .
The Hollywood Reporter .
Archived from the original on 3 February 2019. Retrieved 3 February 2019 .
^
"30 Under 30 Europe 2019: Entertainment" .
Forbes .
Archived from the original on 13 February 2019. Retrieved 27 November 2022 .
^
"The 75th Festival de Cannes winners list" . Festival de Cannes . 28 May 2022.
Archived from the original on 24 June 2022. Retrieved 19 June 2022 .
^ Jefferson, Dee (19 June 2022).
"Belgian film Close, about teen male friendship, wins Sydney Film Festival's top prize" .
ABC News .
Australian Broadcasting Corporation .
Archived from the original on 8 February 2023. Retrieved 20 June 2022 .
^ Rogers, Thomas (27 January 2023).
"Once a Bullied Teen, Now the Movies' Master Storyteller of Youth" . The New York Times .
ISSN
0362-4331 . Retrieved 29 June 2023 .
^
"2023 Oscars Nominations: See the Full List" .
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences . 24 January 2023.
Archived from the original on 8 February 2023. Retrieved 25 February 2023 .
^
"THE ACADEMY INVITES 398 TO MEMBERSHIP" .
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences . 28 June 2023. Retrieved 31 May 2024 .
^ Lanney, Tessa (1 March 2024).
"Festival de Cannes 2024 : Xavier Dolan et Lukas Dhont président chacun un jury" .
Têtu (in French). Retrieved 31 May 2024 .
^
"Lukas Dhont: 2 Golden Globe Nominations 'Is Nothing but Happiness' " . Golden Globes . 25 May 2024. Retrieved 31 May 2024 .
^
"Gun / Belgique / 2023 / 17' / Flamand" .
Cabourg Film Festival (in French). Retrieved 29 June 2023 .
External links
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