A round of applause lasting 10 (!) minutes for Lukas Dhont in Cannes
The new movie of the young Flemish film director Lukas Dhont, "Close" had its first showing at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival yesterday evening, and was well received. In fact, the Ghent movie maker received a round of applause of about 10 minutes at the end.
"Close" is Dhont's second movie. His first film "Girl" already won the Caméra d'Or for the best debut in Cannes in 2018. It took him some time to find a good subject for a second movie, but "Close" (about the friendship between the boys Léo and Rémi that gets broken) seems a good film as well.
"It was like coming home for Lukas," the VRT's film pundit Lieven Van Gils says. "Imagine that a crowd of 2,300 gives you a long-lasting applause like this... it was quite emotional." Van Gils thinks that "Close" may have a chance to win the Golden Palm for best movie in Cannes.
Watch the official trailer here:
Watch the extensive round of applause after the first showing here:
"Rebel"
Another Belgian movie, "Rebel" also had its first showing in Cannes last night. Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, who have worked in Hollywood, presented their fifth film in a so-called midnight screening. It was only finished around 3:30 in the morning.
This film is completely different, treating the subject of Syria fighters. A teenager travels to Syria to find his brother. "Adil and Bilall left their signature here. They show their wonderful skills as film directors, also in the action scenes where nobody can beat them," estimates Lieven Van Gils. Their movie does not take part in the official competition in Cannes.