Girl

Girl

Film about a girl, born in the body of a boy, who dreams of becoming a ballerina.
15-year-old Lara has always known that she was born in the wrong body. Having attended mandatory counselling sessions and taking puberty inhibitors for some time, she impatiently waits for the day when she can have the surgery she so desperately wants. She has a strong support system at home, thanks to her progressive single father and loving young brother. But, she still faces great stress at the prestigious dance Academy she attends, where the increasing physical and emotional pressures slowly take their toll. Featuring a truly remarkable central performance from acting and dancing talent Victor Polster in his first screen role, Lukas Dhont’s richly empathetic and beautifully realized film sensitively explores Lara’s complex inner emotions.
The film is multiple award winner at this year’s Cannes festival– including the Camera d’Or for best debut film, the Queer Palm and the Un Certain Regard Best Actor award and FIPRESCI Prize.

  • Year:
    2018
  • Runtime:
    105 min.
  • Country:
    Belgium, Netherrlands
  • Director:
    Lukas Dhont
  • Screenplay:
    Lukas Dhont, Angelo Tijssens
  • Dir. of Photography:
    Frank van den Eeden
  • Music:
    Valentin Hadjadj
  • Editor:
    Alain Dessauvage
  • Cast:
    Victor Polster, Arieh Worthalter, Katelijne Damen. Valentijn Dhaenens
  • Production:
    Menuet, Topkapi Films, Frakas Producions
  • Sales:
    The Match Factory / Asociácia slovenských filmových klubov
  • Festivals:
    Cannes 2018 – Un Certain Regard (Golden Camera, FIPRESCI Prize, Queer Palm, Prize of he Best Actor – Victor Polster), Karlovy Vary 2018, Toronto 2018, CPH PIX 2018, London 2018 (Sutherland Award), Thessaloniki 2018, Odessa (Victor Polster – Golden Duke for Best Acting), San Sebastián 2018 (Audience Award)

About the Director:

Lukas Dhont

(1991, Belgium) graduated with a diploma in audio-visual arts from the KASK Academy in Ghent. His short films, Headlong (Corps Perdu) and L’Infini, received numerous prizes, namely from the Ghent Film Festival and the Louvain International Short Film Festival. L’Infini also qualified for the Oscars in 2015. Throughout his studies, he focused on fiction but also explored the possibilities offered by the documentary genre. Girl, his first feature fiction film, won several awards in Cannes 2018 and is Belgian entry for the Oscar.