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Jean-Pierre Dardenne

Jean-Pierre Dardenne

Producer, director and writer, also actor · Born April 21, 1951 (75) · Engis, Wallonia, Belgium

BAFTA Award nominee · 2 other major award bodies

Brothers Jean-Pierre Dardenne (born 21 April 1951) and Luc Dardenne (born 10 March 1954), collectively referred to as the Dardenne brothers, are a Belgian filmmaking duo. They write, produce, and direct their films together. The Dardennes began making narrative and documentary films in the late 1970s. They came to international attention in the mid-1990s with La Promesse (The Promise). They won their first major international film prize when Rosetta won the Palme d'Or at the 1999 Cannes Film Festival. Their work tends to reflect left-wing themes and points-of-view. In 2002, Olivier Gourmet won Best Actor at Cannes for the Dardennes' Le Fils (The Son). In 2005, they won the Palme d'Or a second time for their film L'Enfant (The Child), putting them in an elite club, at the time, of only seven. Their film, Le Silence de Lorna (Lorna's Silence), won Best Screenplay at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival and was released in Europe in the fall. Their film The Kid with a Bike won the Grand Prix at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival, received one Golden Globe nomination and eight Magritte Award nominations. Jean-Pierre was the jury president for the Cinéfoundation and Short Films sections of the 2012 Cannes Film Festival. In 2015, their film Deux jours, une nuit (Two Days, One Night) received nine Magritte Award nominations (winning three) and one Academy Award nomination for Best Actress for Marion Cotillard. Their 2019 feature Young Ahmed won them the Best Director Award at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival. Their 2022 film Tori and Lokita won the 75th Anniversary Prize at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival. Creators of intensely naturalistic films about working class life in Belgium, brothers Luc and Jean-Pierre Dardenne have created a notable body of work since 1996. With La Promesse (The Promise) (1996), Rosetta (1999), Le Fils (The Son) (2002), and L'Enfant (The Child) (2005), the Dardennes' films show young people at the fringes of society – immigrants, the unemployed, the inhabitants of shelters. Both Rosetta and L'Enfant were awarded the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival, the only two Belgian films ever to earn the honor. The Dardennes were born and raised in Seraing in Liege, in Wallonia, the French-speaking region of Belgium. Jean-Pierre (born in 1951) studied drama while Luc (born three years later) studied philosophy. In 1975 they established Derives, the production company that produced the roughly sixty documentary films they made before branching into feature films. These films covered such topics as Polish immigration, World War II resistance, a general strike in 1960. Their first two feature films, however, are rarely seen today: Falsch (1987) adapted from René Kalisky, featuring Bruno Cremer and Je pense a vous (1992). The Dardennes had their first international success with La Promesse (The Promise) in 1996. ... Source: Article "Dardenne brothers" from Wikipedia in English, licensed under CC-BY-SA 3.0.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
April 21, 1951 (75)
From
Engis, Wallonia, Belgium
Works as
Producer, director and writer, also actor
Titles
51 on MovieCove · 111 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 155 days to Oct 26Down 3% in 30 days

What are Jean-Pierre Dardenne's films like?

Across their 49 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Self.

Genres

Drama34 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 70th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Drama movies
Crime6 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 86th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Crime movies
Comedy4 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 57th percentile
: browse their Comedy movies
Documentary2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 37th percentile
: browse their Documentary movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Morality
23%
Self
22%
Bonds
19%
Survival
13%
Society
11%
Power
6%
Ideas
5%
Family bonds15 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity9 titles, browse their movies with this themeRedemption7 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice7 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival6 titles, browse their movies with this themeObsession5 titles, browse their movies with this themeComing of age5 titles, browse their movies with this themeIsolation7 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 49 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Dark: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their dark movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 7 · Serious 9 · Dark 33

Grounded: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their grounded movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 39 · Stylized 6 · Heightened 4

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 7 · Charged 22 · Intense 20

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 24 · Shifting 24 · Whiplash 1

Straight-faced: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their straight-faced movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 43 · Some laughs 5 · Funny 1

Slow burn: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their slow burn movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 31 · Even-paced 18 · Relentless 0

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 7 · Engaged 36 · Full focus 6

Heavy: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their heavy movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

Easy watch 3 · Affecting 12 · Heavy 34

Open-ended: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their open-ended movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 14 · Open-ended 25 · Ambiguous 10

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
33
Melancholic
33
Contemplative
18
Dread
9
Warm
8
Other
29

How their films linger

Thought-provoking28 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet17 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting15 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful13 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling14 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteDevastating5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 3 with a twist

  • Bittersweet27
  • Tragic7
  • Ambiguous15

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Jean-Pierre Dardenne's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 26 of their 51 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (9).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Jean-Pierre Dardenne's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

111 credits, 51 with a MovieCove page; 23 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • The Green Eyes (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2026)

    Co-Producer

  • Butterfly Jam (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2026)

    Co-Producer

  • Un détour par Diane(2026)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films

  • Julian(2025)

    Co-Producer

    Midcredits score: 63rd percentile of all films

  • Adam's Sake (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2025)

    Producer

  • Traffic (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2025)

    Producer

  • Bella (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2025)

    Producer

  • Bella (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2025)

    Producer

  • Young Mothers(2025)

    Director · Producer · Writer

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films

  • Manas(2024)

    Associate Producer

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films

  • Skiff(2025)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films

  • The Most Precious of Cargoes(2024)

    Co-Producer

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films

  • Julie Keeps Quiet(2024)

    Co-Producer

    Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films

  • Langue Étrangère(2024)

    Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films

  • Emilia Pérez(2024)

    Co-Producer

    Midcredits score: 18th percentile of all films

  • Holly (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2023)

    Co-Producer

  • Black Box (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2023)

    Co-Producer

  • Jeanne du Barry(2023)

    Co-Producer

    Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films

  • The Line(2022)

    Co-Producer

    Midcredits score: 40th percentile of all films

  • Wil(2023)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all films

  • Saturn Bowling(2022)

    Co-Producer

    Midcredits score: 36th percentile of all films

  • Tori and Lokita(2022)

    Director · Producer · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films

  • The Eden of La Ciotat (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2022)

    Actor

  • Animals (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2022)

    Co-Producer

  • My Night(2021)

    Co-Producer

    Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all films

  • Red Soil(2020)

    Co-Producer

    Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films

  • La civil(2021)

    Co-Producer

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films

  • Atarrabi & Mikelats (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2020)

    Producer

  • Honey Cigar(2020)

    Co-Producer

    Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films

  • Young Ahmed(2019)

    Director · Producer · Writer

    Midcredits score: 63rd percentile of all films

  • Casanova, Last Love(2019)

    Co-Producer

    Midcredits score: 12th percentile of all films

  • Dear Son (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2018)

    Producer

  • Fatwa (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2018)

    Co-Producer

  • How Fernando Pessoa Saved Portugal (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2018)

    Producer

  • Niet schieten(2018)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films

  • The Sisters Brothers(2018)

    Associate Producer · Co-Producer · Thanks

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films

  • Paul Sanchez Is Back! (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2018)

    Co-Producer

  • Carnivores(2018)

    Co-Producer

    Midcredits score: 20th percentile of all films

  • Drôle de père(2017)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films

  • Endangered Species (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2017)

    Co-Producer

  • Planetarium(2016)

    Co-Producer

    Midcredits score: 7th percentile of all films

  • The Unknown Girl(2016)

    Director · Producer · Writer

    Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all films

  • The Dancer(2016)

    Co-Producer

    Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films

  • Graduation(2016)

    Co-Producer

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films

  • Pericle (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2016)

    Co-Producer

  • The Son of Joseph(2016)

    Co-Producer

    Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all films

  • Good Luck Sam (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2016)

    Producer

  • Hedi(2016)

    Co-Producer

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films

  • Behind the Clouds (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2016)

    Co-Producer

  • Les Cowboys(2015)

    Co-Producer

    Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all films

  • Long Live the Bride (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2015)

    Co-Producer

  • Diary of a Chambermaid(2015)

    Co-Producer

    Midcredits score: 22nd percentile of all films

  • 40-Love(2014)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 43rd percentile of all films

  • Wild Life(2014)

    Co-Producer

    Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films

  • Two Days, One Night(2014)

    Director · Producer · Writer

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films

  • À ciel ouvert (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2014)

    Co-Producer

  • Playing Dead(2013)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films

  • Marina (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2013)

    Co-Producer

  • Ion (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2013)

    Producer

  • Beyond the Hills(2012)

    Co-Producer

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films

  • Rust and Bone(2012)

    Co-Producer

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films

  • White Elephant(2012)

    Thanks

    Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films

  • Summer with Anton (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2012)

    Producer

  • The Minister(2011)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films

  • The Kid with a Bike(2011)

    Director · Producer · Writer

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films

  • A Letter to Elia (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2010)

    Thanks

  • K.O.R. (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2010)

    Producer

  • The Front Line (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2009)

    Producer

  • Children Without a Shadow (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2009)

    Executive Producer

  • Lorna's Silence(2008)

    Director · Producer · Writer

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films

  • Premier Jour (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2008)

    Producer

  • Vous êtes de la police ? (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2007)

    Co-Producer

  • To Each His Own Cinema(2007)

    Director · Writer

    Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films

  • Why We Can't See Each Other Outside When the Sun is Shining (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2007)

    Producer

  • Madonnen(2007)

    Co-Producer

    Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films

  • The Colonel (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2006)

    Producer

  • Rwanda, les collines parlent (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2006)

    Producer

  • The Child(2005)

    Director · Producer · Writer

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films

  • Il fare politica (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)

    Producer

  • Life, Differently (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)

    Executive Producer

  • The Ax(2005)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films

  • Être amoureux (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)

    Producer

  • The Sun Assassinated (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2004)

    Producer

  • The Living World (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)

    Co-Producer

  • Stormy Weather(2003)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all films

  • The Son(2002)

    Director · Producer · Writer

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films

  • Romances de terre et d'eau (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)

    Producer

  • Brook by Brook (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)

    Co-Producer

  • First Love (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)

    Producer

  • Two Sisters (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)

    Producer

  • Le lait de la tendresse humaine(2001)

    Co-Producer

    Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films

  • La devinière (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2000)

    Line Producer

  • Les siestes Grenadine (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)

    Producer

  • Rosetta(1999)

    Director · Producer · Writer

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films

  • L'héritier (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)

    Executive Producer

  • Do You Remember Revolution? (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1997)

    Producer

  • Gigi, Monica... et Bianca (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1997)

    Executive Producer · Producer

  • The Promise(1996)

    Director · Producer · Writer

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • Faute de soleil (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1995)

    Co-Producer

  • Thinking of You (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1993)

    Director · Producer · Writer

  • Falsch (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1987)

    Director · Screenplay

  • Il court, il court, le monde (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1987)

    Director · Writer

  • The Writing on the Wall (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1983)

    Producer

  • Regard Jonathan/Jean Louvet, son oeuvre (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1983)

    Director · Camera Operator · Editor

  • Lessons from a University on the Fly (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)

    Director · Cinematographer · Writer

  • R... Doesn't Answer Anymore (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1981)

    Director · Cinematographer · Editor · Writer

  • For the War to End, the Walls Should Have Crumbled (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1980)

    Director · Writer

  • When Léon M.’s Boat Went Down the Meuse for the First Time (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1979)

    Director · Cinematographer · Writer

  • Le Chant du rossignol (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1978)

    Director

  • Fonda (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Co-Producer

  • L'Or rouge (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Co-Producer

Career shape

A full career of 108 titles, 105 of them dated from 1978 to 2026.

Biggest box office

Rust and Bone (2012)

$26M worldwide

Highest rated

The Promise (1996)

Midcredits 97th

Most popular right now

Emilia Pérez (2024)

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting1 of 108: 1 only acting, 0 with another roleDirecting21 of 108: 1 only directing, 20 with another role · typical Midcredits score87thWriting19 of 108: 0 only writing, 19 with another role · typical Midcredits score87thProducing96 of 108: 83 only producing, 13 with another role · typical Midcredits score69thCinematography3 of 108: 0 only cinematography, 3 with another roleEditing2 of 108: 0 only editing, 2 with another roleOther crew4 of 108: 2 only other crew, 2 with another role

108 titles, 21 with more than one role — producing and directing overlap on 12 of them.

By decade

1970s2 · crew1980s7 · crew1990s8 · crew2000s25 · crew2010s38 · crew2020s25 · 1 acting · 24 crew

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.

Awards

11 major awards from 23 major nominations, 1996–2025.

WinNomination
  1. 2025
    • Cannes award, won ×2
    • Cannes award, nominated
  2. 2022
    • Cannes award, won
    • Cannes award, nominated
  3. 2019
    • Cannes award, won
    • Cannes award, nominated
  4. 2016
    • Cannes award, nominated
  5. 2015
    • BAFTA Award, nominated · Best Film Not in the English Language
  6. 2014
    • Cannes award, won
    • Cannes award, nominated
  7. 2012
    • Independent Spirit Award, nominated · Best International Film
  8. 2011
    • Cannes award, won
    • Cannes award, nominated
Show 6 earlier years
  1. 2008
    • Cannes award, won
    • Cannes award, nominated
  2. 2005
    • Cannes award, won
  3. 2002
    • Cannes award, won
    • Cannes award, nominated
  4. 2000
    • Independent Spirit Award, nominated · Best Foreign Film
  5. 1999
    • Cannes award, won ×2
  6. 1996
    • Cannes award, nominated · Directors' Fortnight

Major bodies only: the Oscars, Primetime Emmys, Golden Globes, BAFTAs and Screen Actors Guild Awards are named; Cannes, Venice, the Berlinale, Sundance, the directors', writers' and producers' guilds, the Grammys, Critics Choice and the Independent Spirit Awards count as other major bodies. Festival and regional prizes are not counted. Source: IMDb.

How do Jean-Pierre Dardenne's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 70th percentile, the median of all 51; across their 49 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 71st percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

71stpercentile
Typical film, the median of 49

Approval · how many liked their films

65thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 49

Reach · how many have seen their films

78thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 49

Midcredits score across 51 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up22
  • 50th to 74th16
  • 25th to 49th8
  • Below 25th5

Shape of the crowd

30 of their 51 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved5
  • Crowd Pleaser30
  • Broadly Agreed4
  • Mixed12

Most divisive · producer

Emilia Pérez (2024)

70th percentile spread · 35% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · producer

Manas (2024)

Midcredits 98th · 87% liked

Reviewers score the atmosphere 74/100 and the pacing 47/100 in their films, across 39 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a director.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is Jean-Pierre Dardenne's work okay for kids?

Across up to 9 MovieCove titles with content scores, violence & gore and alcohol & drugs run heavier than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore5 titles44–93 · median 69 · intenseheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity9 titles12–57 · median 36 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity4 titlesmedian 62 · intenseMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs5 titles41–54 · median 50 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense4 titlesmedian 63 · intenseMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.

Who does Jean-Pierre Dardenne work with?

People who share at least 2 of Jean-Pierre Dardenne's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Luc Dardenne shares the most, 49.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers, cinematographers and editors

Producers

Mixed roles