CANNES, France — Acclaimed Belgian filmmakers Luc and Jean-Pierre Dardenne will once again compete for the prestigious Palme d’Or at the 78th Cannes Film Festival with their latest feature, Young Mothers, festival general delegate Thierry Frémaux announced on Thursday.
The drama marks the Dardenne brothers’ tenth film to be selected for the official competition at Cannes, cementing their status as two of the festival’s most celebrated auteurs.
Young Mothers follows the interconnected stories of five women — Jessica, Perla, Julie, Ariane, and Naïma — who reside in a maternal home that supports them as they navigate the emotional and practical challenges of early motherhood.
Known for their stark realism and socially conscious narratives, the Dardenne brothers have made a lasting impact on the Croisette over the past quarter-century. Out of their 13 feature films, 11 have been showcased at Cannes, with 10 selected for the main competition — a rare feat among contemporary directors.
The duo is part of a small and distinguished group of filmmakers who have twice claimed the festival’s top prize. They first won the Palme d’Or in 1999 for Rosetta, a powerful portrait of a teenage girl fighting to escape poverty, and repeated the feat in 2005 with L’Enfant, which follows a young petty criminal coming to terms with fatherhood.
Beyond the Palmes, their Cannes track record includes an impressive six major awards. Rosetta also earned the Best Actress award for Émilie Dequenne in 1999.
Three years later, Olivier Gourmet was awarded Best Actor for his role in The Son (2002). In 2008, the brothers took home the Best Screenplay award for The Silence of Lorna. Their 2011 film The Kid with a Bike won the Grand Prix, the festival’s second-highest honor.
In 2019, they were awarded Best Director for Young Ahmed. Most recently, in 2022, they received a special prize at Cannes’ 75th anniversary edition for Tori and Lokita.
This year’s Cannes Film Festival is set to take place from May 13 to 24 in the picturesque coastal city, which annually transforms into the epicenter of global cinema.
The Dardennes’ inclusion in the 2025 competition adds to an already eagerly anticipated lineup, reinforcing the festival’s commitment to showcasing films that blend social realism with emotional depth.
With Young Mothers, the Dardennes continue their exploration of youth on the margins of society — a theme that has long defined their filmography. Early reactions from industry insiders suggest that the film retains the duo’s trademark emotional intensity and humanistic lens.
The selection of Young Mothers not only reaffirms the Dardenne brothers’ enduring relevance in the cinematic landscape but also raises expectations for another potential accolade on the Croisette.
As the countdown to Cannes begins, all eyes will once again be on the Belgian duo to see if they can make history with a third Palme d’Or.
