GIRL tells the story of 15-year-old Lara who wants to become a ballerina, with a classical training for female dancers. Lara is accepted in a ballet school and her dream seems closer than ever. But there is one problem: Lara was born into the body of a boy. A body that she will push to its limits in order for her to succeed. The exhausting training sessions force Lara to harm herself, which in turn puts her plans for surgery in jeopardy. When the doctors finally forbid her from doing ballet, Lara makes a momentous decision, one intended to help her become a woman once and for all.

Lukas Dhont was born in Ghent/Belgium, where he graduated with a degree in audio-visual media from KASK School of Arts. With his short films CORPS PERDU and L‘INFINI, he won numerous awards. L‘INFINI also qualified in 2015 for the short list for an Oscar nomination in the category of best short film. During his studies, Dhont focused on fictional narrative filmmaking, though he also devoted attention to the field of documentary cinema. In 2016, he participated in the Résidence du Festival programme of Cinéfondation Cannes with the screenplay for his feature film debut GIRL. In this film, Dhont brings together elements from his previous works, such as dance, transformation and identity.

Filmography: 2012 CORPS PERDU; SKIN OF GLASS, 2014 L‘INFINI (all short films), 2018 GIRL

Awards (selection): FIPRESCI Prize and Director Award in the section “Un Certain Regard”, Golden Camera and Queer Palm for Lukas Dhont (International Film Festival Cannes, France 2018)