“Happy as Lazzaro” premiered in competition and was awarded Best Screenplay for Alice Rohrwacher
The Camera d’Or for best first film was awarded to Lukas Dhont for “Girl”
“Girl” premiered in Un Certain Regard at the Cannes Film Festival where it was awarded Best Actor for Victor Polster
ABOUT “HAPPY AS LAZZARO”
Alice Rohrwacher was awarded Best Screenplay for Happy as Lazzaro (it was a tie with Nader Saeivar for 3 Faces)
Synopsis: This is the tale of a meeting between Lazzaro, a young peasant so good that he is often mistaken for simple-minded, and Tancredi, a young nobleman cursed by his imagination. Life in their isolated pastoral village Inviolata is dominated by the terrible Marchesa Alfonsina de Luna, the queen of cigarettes. A loyal bond is sealed when Tancredi asks Lazzaro to help him orchestrate his own kidnapping. This strange and improbable alliance is a revelation for Lazzaro. A friendship so precious that it will travel in time and transport Lazzaro in search of Tancredi. His first time in the big city, Lazzaro is like a fragment of the past lost in the modern world.
Writer & Director: Alice Rohrwacher
Cast: Adriano Tardiolo, Luca Chikovani, Alba Rohrwacher, Agnese Graziani, Tommaso Ragno, Sergi Lopez, Natalino Balasso, Gala Othero Winter, David Bennent, Nicoletta Braschi.
Producer: Carlo Cresto-Dina
Co-producers: Tiziana Soudani, Alexandra Henochsberg, Grégory Gajos, Arthur Hallereau, Pierre-François Piet, Michel Merkt, Michael Weber, Viola Fügen
Production Companies: A Tempesta production with Rai Cinema in co-production with Amka Films Prods., Ad Vitam Production, KNM, Pola Pandora, RSI Radiotelevisione Svizzera, ARTE France Cinéma, ZDF/ARTE
International Sales: The Match Factory
About Alice Rohrwacher
Alice Rohrwacher directed Le Meraviglie (The Wonders), winner of the Grand Jury Prize at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival. Born in 1981 in Fiesole, she studied in Turin and Lisbon. She has worked in music and documentary projects. She has also worked as an editor and composer for theatre. Her first feature Corpo Celeste made its world premiere in the Directors’ Fortnight (Cannes 2011).
ABOUT “GIRL”
The Camera d’Or, for best first film, was awarded to Girl
Vincent Polster won the Best Actor Prize for Un Certain Regard for his performance in Girl
Lukas Dhont's Un Certain Regard entry Girl was awarded this year's Queer Palm award. (The Queer Palm launched in 2010 and selects its winner from all LGBTQ-themed films across the official selection of the Cannes film festival, Un Certain Regard, Directors’ Fortnight, Critics’ Week and the unofficial ACID section.)
Synopsis: Determined 15-year-old Lara is committed to becoming a professional ballerina. With the support of her father, she throws herself into this quest for the absolute at a new school. Lara’s adolescent frustrations and impatience are heightened as she realizes her body does not bend so easily to the strict discipline because she was born a boy.
Director: Lukas Dhont
Cast: Victor Polster, Arieh Worthalter, Oliver Bodart, Tijmen Govaerts, Katelijne Damen, Valentijn Dhaenens, Magali Elali, Alice de Broqueville
Screenwriters: Lukas Dhont, Angelo Tijssens
Producer: Dirk Impens
Production companies: Menuet, Frakas Productions, Topkapi Films
International Sales: The Match Factory
About Lukas Dhont
Lukas Dhont was born in Ghent, Belgium. He graduated with a diploma in audiovisual arts from the KASK School Of Arts in Ghent. His short films, Corps Perdu and L’Infini, received numerous prizes. L’Infini was the Belgian entry for the Academy Awards in 2015. Throughout his studies, he focused on fiction but also explored the possibilities of documentary. In 2016, Lukas Dhont participated in the Cannes Cinéfondation residency with the script for his first feature film, Girl. This film combines themes the filmmaker has already explored, like dance, transformation and identity. Lukas Dhont collaborates regularly with choreographer and dancer Jan Martens with whom he co-signed a performance titled “The Common People.”
