Belgian filmmaker Lucas Dhont was BOTD in 1991. Born and raised in Dikkelvenne near Ghent to a middle-class family, he developed an early interest in cinema, working as a costume design assistant on film sets as a teenager. He studied film at the KASK School of Arts, winning several prizes for his short films. He turned heads with his 2018 debut feature film Girl, a portrait of a pre-pubescent transgender girl attempting to pursue a career as a ballerina. Premiering at the Cannes Festival, where it won the Caméra d’Or award for best first feature, it also won best Flemish film and best screenplay at the Magritte (Belgian film) Awards. His 2022 feature Close, the poignant story of two pre-pubescent boys whose close friendship ends in tragedy, won the Grand Prix (runner-up prize) at the Cannes Festival, and was Oscar-nominated for best international feature. In 2024, Dhont chaired the Queer Palm jury for best LGBTQ-themed film at the Cannes Festival. Openly gay since forever, he is in a relationship with TV presenter Davy Parmentier.