Wannes Destoop’s short film Swimsuit 46 has been selected for Official Competition at this year’s Cannes International Film Festival (11-22 May). The short is Destoop’s graduation project at the KASK Fine Arts Academy in Ghent.
Destoop is competing for the prestigious Palme d’Or for Best Short Film. The jury for both the Short Film and the Cinéfondation programme is headed by Michel Gondry (The Green Hornet, The Science of Sleep, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind) who follows in the footsteps of such names as Atom Egoyan, Hou Hsiao-Hsien, Martin Scorsese and John Boorman.
In Swimsuit 46, 12-year-old Chantal is having a hard time finding her way through life. She's overweight, she's 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. The main cast includes Janis Vercaempst, Wim Opbrouck, Lies Pauwels, Kenneth Vanbaeden and Johan Heldenbergh.
The last Flemish short in Official Competition in Cannes was six years ago, when Peter Ghesquiere’s Moonglow was selected in 2005. A year earlier, Jonas Geirnaert’s animated short, Flatlife, had won the International Jury Award.
Last week another Flemish short was confirmed for Cannes. Lunchbox Story by Pieter Dirkx is selected for the Cinéfondation programme. With two shorts in Cannes, young Flemish helmers have once again proved their exceptional talent.