Dardenne brothers on Young Ahmed, their portrait of radical Islam and teenage angst that won Cannes prize

Story of a 13-year-old boy drawn to Islamic extremism won the Belgian brothers the best director prize at this year’s Cannes Film Festival

‘Hopefully we made a film which does not judge,’ says Luc Dardenne. The film will be part of the Festival de Cannes Film Week in Hong Kong this month

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Belgian directors Jean-Pierre (left) and Luc Dardenne receive the best director prize for Young Ahmed at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, France. They compare the Islamic radicalism they depict in the film with the fanaticism of the Catholic Church’s Inquisition. Photo: AFP

Published: 6:00am, 5 Nov 2019Updated: 9:11pm, 6 Nov 2019

When we meet Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne, it’s the day after the Brussels premiere of their latest film, Young Ahmed, in their native Belgium. The story of a 13-year-old boy drawn to Islamic extremism, the film deals with a contentious subject – one that could easily draw criticism or worse from some quarters of the Muslim community.

So there is an almost palpable sense of relief. “A Muslim friend, a woman, texted us and said, ‘Thank you for the hope the film gives’,” they report. But then, of course, the genial Dardenne brothers – Jean-Pierre, curly-haired and 68; Luc, balding and 65 – are not known for sensationalist filmmaking.

Their brand of social realist cinema has frequently tackled hot-button topics – notably immigration (in their 1996 breakthrough film La Promesse, and later in The Silence of Lorna and The Unknown Girl ). But, like their British counterpart Ken Loach – whose work they have occasionally co-produced – it’s always done with sensitivity and compassion.

This month, audiences in Hong Kong will get the chance to watch Young Ahmed as part of the inaugural Festival de Cannes Film Week programme; the Dardenne brothers are also expected to give a masterclass on November 14 at K11 Musea in Tsim Sha Tsui in their first appearance in the city.

Their inclusion could not be more appropriate. The world’s most prestigious film festival is a spiritual home for the brothers; they have twice won the top prize, the Palme d’Or, for Rosetta (1999) and L’Enfant (2005), putting them in a rarefied group.