Premiering at the Cannes Film Festival, Young Mothers by the Belgian filmmaking duo Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne debuted to acclaim with a resounding audience ovation that continued for 10.5 minutes. Perennial competitors at Cannes, Young Mothers marks the sibling filmmakers tenth appearance as competitors in the festival’s official competition bracket. Rarely have the filmmakers entered the festival and left without receiving laudatory praise and awards. The Dardenne Brothers are among a few film directors to have won the Palme d’Or twice (in 1999 for Rosetta and 2005 for L’Enfant), and have also won Best Screenplay, Best Director, the Grand Prix, and twice the Special Prize of the Ecumenical Jury for their films. Only once at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival have the brothers entered and departed without a prize for their film. Young Mothers extends this trend, having won the brothers their second Best Screenplay competition award.

Young Mothers, through its story of five young girls in a women’s shelter for mothers, much like their earlier film Rosetta, demonstrates the Dardenne Brothers exploration and interest in the plights of young women through their arthouse film framework.

In another connection to the brothers long history at the Cannes Film Festival, this year the Official Selection was dedicated to the memory of Belgian actress Émilie Dequenne who emerged with great acclaim in the Dardenne Brothers Palme d’Or winning Rosetta 26 years ago. In a speech after Young Mothers premiered at Cannes, the directors celebrated the life of their previous collaborator, drawing from Dequenne’s own words of “Celebrate life, celebrate young actresses” to extend praise and attention to the assembled cast of Young Mothers.