Lucas Dhont is a Belgian film director and screenwriter who gained international recognition at a young age. In 2019, he was featured in Forbes' prestigious 30 Under 30 Europe list, solidifying his status as a rising talent in the film industry.
Born in Ghent, Belgium, Dhont comes from a creative family. His mother, Hilbe, is a fashion teacher at an art school, and his younger brother, Michiel, is a producer. As a teenager, Dhont gained valuable experience working as a costume design assistant on film and television sets.
Dhont's feature-length debut, Girl, was a critical and commercial success. The drama film, inspired by the true story of Nora Monsecour, follows a trans girl's journey to pursue a career as a ballerina. Girl premiered at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival, where it won the Caméra d'Or award for best first feature film and the Queer Palm. The film also received the André Cavens Award for Best Film from the Belgian Film Critics Association and was selected as Belgium's entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 91st Academy Awards.
Girl received widespread critical acclaim, earning nine nominations at the 9th Magritte Awards and winning four, including Best Flemish Film and Best Screenplay for Dhont.
Dhont's second feature, Close, premiered at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival in competition, where it shared the Grand Prix with Claire Denis' Stars At Noon. The film, starring Emilie Dequenne and Léa Drucker, is based on Dhont's own experiences at school and tells the story of the friendship between two boys in their early teens. Close also won the Sydney Film Prize in June 2022.
As of July 2021, Dhont is developing an untitled film with screenwriter Laurent Lunetta, further solidifying his position as a prominent figure in the film industry.
