Bruno Dumont is a French filmmaker who began his career at 38 with “The Life of Jesus” (1997), shot in his native Bailleul. The film earned immediate recognition at Cannes’ Directors’ Fortnight, receiving a Special Mention for the Caméra d’Or.

He continued with a distinctive, often austere style blending realism and the avant-garde, returning to Cannes Competition with “Humanity” (1999), which won the Grand Prix and awards for its non-professional actors. In 2003, he filmed “Twentynine Palms”, a desert road movie selected at Venice, before winning a second Cannes Grand Prix with “Flanders” (2006), a stark war drama.

Dumont then explored religion and mysticism in “Hadewijch” and “Outside Satan”, before directing Camille Claudel 1915 starring Juliette Binoche. He later reached a broader audience with the acclaimed series “Li’l Quinquin”, followed by the comedic “Slack Bay” (Cannes Competition, 2016). He revisited Joan of Arc in “Jeannette” (Directors’ Fortnight, 2017) and “Joan of Arc” (Un Certain Regard, 2019, Special Mention).

In 2021, he directed “France”, a Cannes Competition entry starring Léa Seydoux as a celebrity journalist navigating media, fame, and private collapse. His 2023 film “The Empire”, a sci-fi-inflected satire set on the Opal Coast, competed at the Berlinale and won the Silver Bear Jury Prize.