In tribute to the talented Émilie Dequenne, we present this magnificent 35mm print of Rosetta, preserved in our collections. The Dardenne brothers’ Palme d’or winner brought the then 18-year-old actress instant international recognition, along with the Best Actress Award at the 1999 Cannes Film Festival.
Winner of the Palme d'or, 1999 Cannes Film Festival
A portrait of the daily life of Rosetta, an 18-year-old woman living in great precariousness. Living in a trailer with her alcoholic mother, she fights relentlessly to find work after her factory unfairly dismissed her.
Dardenne brothers
The Dardenne brothers — Jean-Pierre and Luc — are Belgian filmmakers who direct their films together. They are also screenwriters and producers. Their work has gained international acclaim, particularly through the Cannes Film Festival, where several of their films have been presented and awarded. They are part of an exclusive group of nine directors who have won the Palme d'or twice (for Rosetta in 1999, and The Child in 2005), alongside the likes of Francis Ford Coppola, Shōhei Imamura, Emir Kusturica, Bille August, Michael Haneke, Ruben Östlund, and Ken Loach. The Dardenne brothers have developed a consistent and demanding body of work. They are recognized for renewing film aesthetics and storytelling with a concrete and stripped-down style, avoiding easy choices: handheld cameras closely following tense faces and moving bodies, long takes stretching time, capturing nervous gestures, moments of emptiness, irritation, or even frustration, absence of musical scores, silences, and the choice of non-professional or lesser-known actors. Today, they are considered major representatives of European social cinema, alongside Ken Loach and Mike Leigh.
