Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne
"A Dardenne Brothers film" is a statement that requires little explanation. Their work is so unique and influential that its distinctive approach has become easily recognizable.
A Dardenne Brothers film never shies away from the dark corners of society while refusing to give up hope for a better future. Theirs is a realistic work, deeply influenced by a background in documentary filmmaking while using music, editing, and acting with tremendous artistry and skill. It features real, raw, whole, and complex characters, and even if the actors playing them are movie stars, their performances are devoid of mannerisms. Their films seek and manage to move us while simultaneously challenging the audience and provoking thought.
Their style is very distinctive, but one can never expect which story the Dardenne Brothers will choose to tell. Over the years, they have touched upon diverse issues, many of which others did not dare to go near beforehand. In ROSETTA (1999), they portrayed a girl with a dysfunctional mother, and in THE CHILD (2005), a young couple sells their baby on the black market. In THE UNKNOWN GIRL (2016), they dealt with immigration from the perspective of a privileged white woman, and in TORI AND LOKITA (2022), they approached it from the immigrant perspective. In YOUNG AHMED (2019), they dealt with religious fanaticism, and in TWO DAYS, ONE NIGHT (2014), with the cruelty of the modern job market. The list goes on.
Jean-Pierre Dardenne was born in Liège in 1951, and his brother Luc was born three years later. Their work is deeply rooted in the city where they were born and lived throughout their lives, but their films have always remained universal. The two made a name for themselves internationally with THE PROMISE, which screened at the Cannes Film Festival in 1996. Since then, each new film of theirs has premiered at Cannes, usually winning a prestigious award: ROSETTA and THE CHILD won the Palme d'Or, making the Dardennes two of the only working directors to have won this award twice. THE KID WITH A BIKE (2011) won the Grand Prix, YOUNG AHMED won the Best Director Prize, LORNA'S SILENCE (2008) won Best Screenplay, and TORI AND LOKITA won the 75th Anniversary Prize. They also received many accolades at other festivals and award ceremonies, and we are pleased to add another honor to this overflowing list.
The films of Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne have been screened consistently at the Jerusalem Film Festival over its 40-year history. Since the tremendous success of ROSETTA, local audiences have filled the theaters for each of their new films, always excited to discover what story they'll tell this time.
We proudly present the Dardenne Brothers with the Jerusalem Film Festival Achievement Award. It is the least we can do to thank them for the moments of cinematic grace they have granted us, the inspiration they have provided to audiences and artists, and for their long-standing support of the Jerusalem Cinematheque and the festival. Here's to you, Jean-Pierre and Luc, and to a decent and just society. Vive le cinéma!