Luc Dardenne Latest Celebrity News & Gossip

EXCLUSIVE: France tv distribution has unveiled a first round of deals for best-selling French writer Gilles Legardinier’s feature directorial debut Mr. Blake At Your Service!, reuniting John Malkovich and Fanny Ardant on the big screen.

Belgian rapper and filmmaker Baloji and French film actress Emmanuelle Béart have been announced as co-presidents of the Cannes Film Festival’s Caméra d’Or jury for the upcoming 77th edition, running from May 14 to 25.

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor Berlin-based sales agency M-Appeal has closed a deal for German distribution rights for “Let Me Go” with Alamode Film, ahead of the film’s world premiere as the opening film of Cannes ACID sidebar next week. “Let Me Go” (Laissez-Moi), the debut feature by Swiss director Maxime Rappaz, is set in a remote Swiss mountain village, where Claudine (Jeanne Balibar) lives a life dedicated to taking care of her son. Every Tuesday, however, she has an afternoon to herself and goes to a nearby hotel to meet men passing through. She pursues her desires in a carefully controlled way, so as not to interfere with her life, but when she meets Michael (Thomas Sarbacher) everything changes.

Peter Debruge Chief Film Critic If I were to count on one hand the most preeminent humanist filmmakers of our time, the first two fingers would have to be dedicated to Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne. Bringing empathy and insight to stories of immigrants, outcasts and the working poor, the Belgian siblings have dedicated their career to observing characters Western society prefers to overlook. In that time, the brothers have screened every one of their 12 features at Cannes, collecting two Palme d’Or trophies — in 1999 for “Rosetta” and 2002 for “L’Enfant.” The Dardennes keep the prizes in the office they share at their Liège-based production company, Les Films du Fleuve. “They are in an armoire so the sight of them doesn’t weigh too heavily on our shoulders when we start working on a new film,” they tell Variety.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent  Sideshow and Janus Films have dropped the clip for Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne’s “Tori & Lokita” which had a strong opening in New York and Los Angeles on March 24 and is expanding this weekend to additional markets. The latest film by the two-time Palme d’Or winners, “Tori & Lokita” tells the timely story of two immigrants struggling to survive on the margins of society. The humanist drama won the 75th Anniversary Prize at Cannes in 2022. “’Tori Lokita’ is one of the most devastating cinematic experiences I’ve had in a long time,” said Martin Scorsese in a statement sent to Variety. “I’ve always admired the way that Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne make movies—their mastery is inseparable from their spiritual and ethical commitment to their characters, trying to make their way through an unforgiving world,” Scorsese continued. He went on to describe the film as “one of the Dardennes’ most harrowing films,” “also one of their greatest.”  

Belgian directors Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne, Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, French filmmaker Alice Diop and Romanian director Cristian Mungiu have demanded that Iran’s Fajr International Film Festival remove their films from the line-up of its current edition, running from February 1 to 11.

EXCLUSIVE: Original Wild Bunch co-founders Vincent Maraval and Brahim Chioua bid farewell to the legendary company name they created in 2002 at a party in Paris on Thursday evening.

After two truncated years of pandemic-related disruptions, film festivals around the world returned with full-flowing in-person events this year.

European Film Promotion Unveils 2023 European Shooting StarsBelgian actress Joely Mbundu, co-star of  Luc and Jean-Pierre Dardenne’s Cannes 2022 feature Tori And Lokita, is among the eight rising talents selected for the 2023 edition of European Film Promotion’s European Shooting Stars initiative. The selection also includes Italy’s Benedetta Porcaroli, seen recently in Venice Horizons 2022 title Amanda, and Norway’s Kristine Kujath Thorp, who previously made her mark in Fanny, The Burning Sea and Ninjababy, and also won praise for her performance in Cannes Certain Regard 2022 selection Sick of Myself. The other spotlighted titles comprise Alina Tomnikov (Finland), Leonie Benesch (Germany),  Yannick Jozefzoon (The Netherlands), Judith State(Romania), Gizem Erdogan (Sweden) and Kayije Kagame (Switzerland) Thorvaldur Kristjansson (Iceland). This year’s talents were selected by an eight-person jury featuring Polish director Jan Komasa, Dutch casting director Rebecca van Unen and Norwegian producer Maria Ekerhovd. The eight talents will participate in a four-day program during the upcoming Berlin Film Festival (February 16-26), during which they will meet journalists, casting directors, producers and filmmakers.

Janus Films has acquired North American rights for Icelandic director Hlynur Pálmason’s priest drama Godland, which debuted in Cannes Un Certain Regard and now heads to Telluride and Toronto this fall.

Clayton Davis Telluride Film Festival’s official 2022 lineup has been announced, revealing world premieres of Sam Mendes’ “Empire of Light,” Sarah Polley’s “Women Talking,” Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre’s “Lady Chatterley’s Lover” and Sebastián Lelio’s “The Wonder.” In its 49th year, the festival will pay tribute to two-time Oscar-winner Cate Blanchett, whose new film “TÁR,” from director Todd Field, will debut stateside after premiering at the Venice Film Festival. In addition, the festival will also tribute Academy Award nominee Polley (adapted screenplay for 2006’s “Away from Her”) and acclaimed documentarian Marc Cousins, who has two films dropping at the fest. One is “My Name Is Alfred Hitchcock,” which is based on a fictional monologue between Cousins and the master of suspense. The other is “The March on Rome,” depicting the ascent of fascism in Europe during the 1930s.

ARMAGEDDON TIME (d. James Gray, U.S., 2022) BARDO, FALSE CHRONICLE OF A HANDFUL OF TRUTHS (d. Alejandro González Iñárritu, Mexico-U.S., 2022) BOBI WINE, GHETTO PRESIDENT (d.

Deauville Unveils American Indie-Focused Competition Selection

John Hopewell Chief International CorrespondentChristine Vachon, the legendary U.S. indie film producer behind “Far from Heaven,” “Boys Don’t Cry” and HBO miniseries “Mildred Pierce,” will deliver a masterclass at Locarno Pro, the expansive industry program of the Locarno Film Festival.Further masterclasses will be given by Katriel Schory, an architect of the modern build in Israel cinema as executive director of the Israeli Film Fund for 20 years; and by Lucius Barre, the renowned international film publicist who has represented early crossover films by Pedro Almódovar, Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne, Atom Egoyan, Johnnie To and Tom Tykwer.Neon Distribution will be the subject of a panel presentation on original-language film distribution in the U.S.

“Tori and Lokita,” the refugee drama from two-time Palme D’Or winning directors Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne.The film stars Pablo Schils and Joely Mbundu as a young boy and adolescent girl who have traveled alone from Africa to Belgium and face a serious test of their friendship as they grapple with the difficult conditions of their exile. The film received a special award at Cannes in honor of the festival’s 75th anniversary.

Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentSideshow and Janus Films have acquired North American rights for “Tori and Lokita,” the latest film by two-time Palme d’Or winners Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne, which world premiered in competition at Cannes. The movie was one of the best reviewed films of the competition and earned the Dardenne brothers the festival’s special 75th Anniversary Prize.A story of human perseverance, the film is set in contemporary Belgium and follows a young boy Tori (Pablo Schils) and an adolescent girl Lokita (Joely Mbundu) who have traveled alone from Africa and pit their invincible friendship against the difficult conditions of their exile.“Tori and Lokita” stars Pablo Schils, Joely Mbundu, Alban Ukaj, Tijman Govaerts, Charlotte De Bruyne, Nadège Ouedraogo, and Marc Zinga.

Sideshow and Janus Films have acquired North American rights for Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne’s Tori and Lokita which premiered in competition at the Cannes Film Festival and was lauded with the Festival’s Special 75th Anniversary Prize. A theatrical release from Sideshow and Janus is being planned.

NEON earned bragging rights tonight with the third consecutive Palme d’Or Cannes winner in a row, that being Ruben Östlund’s satirical comedy Triangle of Sadness, which was a huge crowd pleaser during the fest.

Grand Prix: (TIE) “Close,” Lukas Dhont; and “Stars at Noon,” Claire DenisJury Prize: (TIE) “The Eight Mountains,” Felix van Groeningen and Charlotte Vandermeersch; and “Eo,” Jerzy SkolimowskiBest Director: Park Chan-Wook, “Decision to Leave”Best Screenplay: “Boy From Heaven,” Tarik SalehBest Actor: Song Kang Ho, “Broker”Best Actress: Zar Amir Ebrahami, “Holy Spider”75th anniversary special award: Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne, “Tori and Lokita”Camera d’Or (best first film): “War Pony,” Riley Keough and Gina GammellCamera d’Or, special mention: “Plan 75,” Hayakawa ChiePalme d’Or, Short Film: “The Water Murmurs,” Jianying ChenShort film special mention: “Lori,” Abinash Bikram Shah

Peter Debruge Chief Film CriticCANNES — The awards show for the 75th anniversary Cannes Film Festival is underway, bringing 12 days of competition between 21 international features to a close. “Benedetta” star Virginie Efira is hosting, while several directors can be spotted in the audience waiting to receive their awards, including Claire Denis (“Stars at Noon”), Park Chan-wook (“Decision to Leave”) and Belgian brothers Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne (“Tori & Lokita”).Guillaume Canet presented best actress honors to Zar Amir-Ebrahimi, who plays the reporter who risks her own life to catch a serial killer in “Holy Spider.” The tense true-crime thriller exposes the crimes and aftermath of a man who targeted prostitutes, and that portion of society which accepted his religious justifications he claimed for cleaning the streets.

Clayton Davis The 2022 Cannes Film Festival is nearing its conclusion, and soon the jury will be selecting awards for this year’s impressive, albeit quieter, slate of films. After last year’s “Titane” from Julia Ducournau made history as the first female-directed film to fully win the Palme d’Or (Jane Campion’s “The Piano” tied with “Farewell My Concubine” in 1993), at this point in the festival, it doesn’t seem likely that a woman-directed project will walk away with it this year.“Forever Young” by French-Italian director Valeria Bruni Tedeschi seems to be the only film directed by a woman that has so far invoked any passion for bringing it to the finish line.

Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne, the Belgian brothers who have directed a series of films notable for quiet naturalism, are a prime example of how at the Cannes Film Festival, familiarity breeds not contempt but contentment.Year after year, Cannes puts the Dardennes’ films in the Main Competition; they’ve made nine features since “Rosetta” in 1999, and every one of them has vied for Cannes’ top honor, the Palme d’Or, with “Rosetta” and 2005’s “L’Enfant” winning and four others taking additional awards. The Dardennes now have a chance to make significant Cannes history by becoming the first directors to ever win the Palme for a third time.If they win for “Tori and Lokita,” which premiered in Cannes on Tuesday, they’ll also set a new record for the longest time elapsed between Cannes wins, with the 17-year gap since “L’Enfant” breaking the record of 14 years between Shohei Imamura’s wins for “The Ballad of Narayama” and The Eel.”But familiarity may also be working against the Dardennes at this point.

Crimes Of The Future, starring Lea Seydoux, Kristen Stewart and Viggo Mortensen. It takes place in the not-so-distant future where humankind has evolved and is “learning to adapt to its synthetic surroundings”.Other films in the running for the festival’s top prize include new outings from filmmakers Claire Denis, Kelly Reichardt, Arnaud Desplechin, Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne, James Gray and Hirokazu Kore-eda.Top Gun: Maverick and Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis Presley biopic were previously announced for the festival, although they’ll be played out of competition.

Main Competition“Holy Spider,” Ali Abbasi“The Almond Tree,” Valeria Bruni Tedeschi“Crimes of the Future,” David Cronenberg“Tori and Lokita,” Jean-Pierre Dardenne and Luc Dardenne“Stars at Noon,” Claire Denis“Brother and Sister,” Arnaud Desplechin“Close,” Lukas Dhont“Armageddon Time,” James Gray“Broker,” Hirokazu Kore-eda“Nostalgia,” Mario Martone“RMN,” Cristian Mungiu“Triangle of Sadness,” Ruben Ostlund“Decision to Leave,” Park Chan-wook“Showing Up,” Kelly Reichardt“Leila’s Brothers,” Saeed Roustaee“Boy From Heaven,” Tarik Saleh“Tchaikovsky’s Wife,” Kirill Serebrennikov“Hi-Han,” Jerzy SkolimowskiUn Certain Regard“Les Pires,” Lise Akoka and Romane Gueret“Burning Days,” Emin Alper“Metronom,” Alexandru Belc“All the People I’ll Never Be,” Davy Chou“Sick of Myself,” Kristoffer Borgli“Domingo and the Midst,” Ariel Escalante Meza“Plan 75,” Hayakawa Chie“Beast,” Riley Keough and Gina Gammell“Corsage,” Marie Kreutzer“Butterfly Vision,” Maksim Nakonechnyi“Godland,” Hlynur Palmason“Rodeo,” Lola Quivoron“Joyland,” Saim Sadiq“The Stranger,” Thomas M. Wright“The Silent Twins,” Agnieszka SmocynskaOut of Competition “Elvis,” Baz Luhrmann“Top Gun: Maverick,” Joseph Kosinski“Three Thousand Years of Longing,” George Miller“Masquerade,” Nicholas Bedos“November,” Cedric Jiminez“Z,” Michel Hazanavicius (opening film) Special Screenings“All That Breathes,” Shaunak Sen“The Natural History of Destruction,” Sergei Loznitsa“Jerry Lee Lewis: Trouble in Mind,” Ethan CoenMidnight Screenings“Hunt,” Lee Jung-jae“Moonage Daydream,” Brett Morgen“Fumer Fait Tousser,” Quentin DupieuxCannes Premiere“Non Frangins,” Rachid Bouchareb“Dodo,” Panos H.

Will Thorne Staff WriterTo what lengths will a desperate mother go to recover her kidnapped daughter?That’s the central question posed in Belgian-Romanian director Teodora Ana Mihai’s first fiction feature “La Civil,” which is set to debut at the Cannes Festival in the Un Certain Regard section.“La Civil” was produced by Hans Everaert’s Menuetto with the assistance of four illustrious Cannes winning directors, Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne, Cristian Mungiu, and Michel Franco.Menuetto has

Over the decades, filmmakers Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne, aka The Dardenne Brothers, have produced some of the most interesting films to come out of Europe. They’ve collected trophies from all over the world at various festivals, including two Palme d’Or awards from Cannes, and are always surprising film fans with each and every project.

Leo Barraclough Senior International CorrespondentFrédéric Corvez’s Urban Distribution International, which is taking part in this week’s 23rd Rendez-vous With French Cinema international film market, is launching world sales on action drama “La Civil.” The film has been produced with the assistance of a heavyweight team of arthouse filmmakers, including Palme d’Or winners Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne, Cristian Mungiu, also a Palme d’Or winner, and Michel Franco, winner of the Grand Jury Prize

Guy Lodge Film CriticWhen Jean-Luc and Pierre Dardenne won the Palme d’Or for “Rosetta” in 1999 — upending such hotly fancied contenders as Pedro Almodovar’s “All About My Mother” — it wasn’t exactly an out-of-nowhere arrival.