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.
Lukas Dhont
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Dhont in European Parliament LUX Audience Award 2023, Brussels
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| Born | (1991-06-11) 11 June 1991 (age 33)[1] |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 2012–present |
| Awards | Full list |
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]
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]
| 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] |
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.
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.