Wannes Destoop's short Swimsuit 46 has won the International Jury Award at the Cannes Film Festival, it was announced by International Shorts Jury President and filmmaker Michel Gondry. The short, which is Destoop's graduation project at the KASK Fine Arts Academy in Ghent, also found an international sales agent in Cannes.
Starring Janis Vercaempst, Wim Opbrouck, Kenneth Vanbaeden and Lies Pauwels, Swimsuit 46 (Badpakje 46) tells the story of 12-year-old Chantal, a chubby girl who is having a hard time finding her way through life. She doesn't have a lot of friends, and at home she can only turn to her stepfather for support as she doesn't get along with her mother or stepbrother. Only in the local pool, where she is training intensively for an upcoming swimming competition, does she truly feel at home. But when she needs a new pair of goggles, things don't go as smoothly as planned and she takes everything to get hold of them.
The jury for both the Short Film and the Cinéfondation programme was headed by Michel Gondry (The Green Hornet, The Science of Sleep, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind) and further consisted of Jessica Hausner, Corneliu Porumboiu, Julie Gayet and João Pedro Rodrigues.
The last Flemish short in Official Competition in Cannes was six years ago, when Peter Ghesquieres Moonglow was selected in 2005. One year earlier, Jonas Geirnaerts animated short, Flatlife, had won the International Jury Award.
Paris-based Premium Films reached an agreement in Cannes for the international representation of the film. Watch the trailer of the film here.