- The acclaimed Belgian filmmaking duo, winners of the Golden Spike in 1996, return to SEMINCI to present ‘Young Mothers’, winner of the Best Screenplay Award at Cannes
- The film, which follows the stories of five teenage mothers, offers an illuminating look at the challenges of early motherhood and the support networks in a maternity ward in Liège
Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne have arrived at the 70th SEMINCI to present the Spanish premiere of their latest film, Young Mothers , in competition in the Official Section. Familiar faces at the festival, the duo responsible for seminal works of European cinema (Rosetta, The Child, The Kid with a Bike) return to Valladolid after receiving the Golden Spike in 1996 for The Promise.
Winner of the Best Screenplay Award at the Cannes Film Festival, Young Mothers follows five teenage mothers in a shelter in Liège, Belgium. Jessica, Perla, Ariane, Julie and Naïma face early motherhood from different realities, marked by circumstances such as precariousness, abandonment, domestic violence and addiction. The Dardennes narrate these five stories in parallel, shaping a choral portrait that highlights their tender and luminous view of the characters.
The future of social cinema
Throughout their more than 30-year career, the Dardenne brothers have repeatedly addressed the social issues of contemporary Europe with their characteristic intimacy and humanism. With Young Mothers, they continue their defence of social cinema which, in the words of Luc Dardenne, is currently facing an uncertain future due to external threats: ‘This is cinema that must continue to be made. But we have to be very vigilant right now. We must prevent at all costs the United States from putting an end to the cultural exception that exists in Europe and allows each state to finance films made in its territory. The United States wants to turn cinema into just another commodity; it has been their dream for a long time. Europe is confronting this and defending cinema as a work of art. And we have to maintain this.’
Origin of the project
The idea for Young Mothers, came about when the masters of social cinema visited a maternity home in Liège, a place where they found a strong spirit of mutual aid and sisterhood. “It all started with a script about a young mother living in a maternity home. He also pointed out that the support networks seen in the film are real: ‘The five stories are fictional. And fiction serves to bring possibilities to reality. That said, I can tell you that the interest, attention and deep patience shown by the professionals at these centres is real.’