Jean-Pierre Dardenne

• Belgian director and producer duo, born in 1951 in Engis.

  The Dardenne brothers spent their childhood in the industrial suburbs of Liège, the future setting of their intimate social dramas. Jean-Pierre studied the dramatic arts while Luc took philosophy classes. They shot political videos about working-class housing estates before directing documentaries about the history of the working-class movement and resistance. In 1987, they directed Falsch, their first fictional feature film, and became household names thanks to The Promise (1994). Rosetta (1999), which won the Golden Palm at Cannes, then The Son (2002) were to follow. In a rare and prestigious win, they received the Golden Palm once again for The Child in 2005. Next came portraits of women: Lorna’s Silence (2008), Two Days, One Night (2014), and The Unknown Girl (2016). They have coproduced many documentaries and more recently, fiction films, between France, Italy, England, and Tunisia, among other countries. Young Ahmed was selected in competition at Cannes in 2019 where it won the Best Director Award. They win the 75th Anniversary Award at the Cannes Film Festival 2022 for Tori and Lokita.

• Fictions

  Falsch (1987) – I'm Thinking of You (1992) – The Promise (1996) – Rosetta (1999) – The Son (2002) – The Child (2005) – Lorna's Silence (2008) – The Kid with a Bike (2011) – Two Days, One Night (2014) – The Unknown Girl (2016) – Younj Ahmed (2019) –Tori and Lokita (2022)

  Documentaries

  Le Chant du rossignol (1978) – When Leon M.'s Boat Went Down the Meuse for the First Time (1979) – For the War to End, the Walls Should Have Crumbled (1980) – R… ne répond plus (1981) – Lessons From a University on the Fly (1982) – Regarde Jonathan / Jean Louvet (1983)