Lukas Dhont’s Un Certain Regard entry Girl was awarded this year’s Queer Palm prize at Cannes. The first feature from the Belgian director follows a trans teen who is trying to become a ballerina.
The Queer Palm was launched in 2010 and selects its winner from all LGBTQ-themed films across the annual film festival’s official selection, its Un Certain Regard sidebar, the Directors’ Fortnight, Critics’ Week and the unofficial ACID section.
This year, 17 films were in the running.
In the short film category, Carolina Markowicz’s O Orfao (The Orphan) was given the nod. The Directors’ Fortnight entry tells the story of a young boy who is adopted and then returned due to his effeminate mannerisms.
This year’s jury president was French producer Sylvie Pialat, the woman behind the Oscar-nominated Timbuktu and the Queer Palm winner Stranger by the Lake. Guadalajara Film Festival programmer Pepe Ruiloba, French producer Dounia Sichov, A Taste of Ink director Morgan Simon and The Hollywood Reporter film critic Boyd van Hoeij rounded out the jury.
