YOUNG MOTHERS
Special Features: 2026 Oscar® Selection, Belgium
[JEUNES MÈRES]
From celebrated Belgian auteurs Luc and Jean-Pierre Dardenne comes a deeply compassionate and finely observed feature that continues the Dardennes’ mastery of empathetic, socially engaged cinema. Widening their signature lens to encompass a multi-character story, YOUNG MOTHERS focuses on a quintet of teenage mothers, or mothers-to-be, living in a maternal group home in Liège. Each young woman faces a unique constellation of challenges — from abandonment and fractured family ties to toxic relationships and substance dependency, in addition to all the daunting realities of learning to parent at such a tender age. Yet within the home’s walls, a fragile but vital sense of community emerges. With guidance from dedicated social workers, the girls navigate moments of conflict, resilience and unexpected joy, discovering the transformative power of mutual support. Featuring a remarkable ensemble of mostly non-professional actors, this tender and intimate drama earned both the Best Screenplay award and the Prize of the Ecumenical Jury at the Cannes Film Festival. (Note courtesy of AFI FEST.)
Official Selection, 2025 AFI FEST, Cannes and Chicago film festivals. DIR/SCR/PROD Jean-Pierre Dardenne, Luc Dardenne; PROD Denis Freyd, Delphine Tomson. Belgium/France, 2025, color, 105 min. In French with English subtitles. NOT RATED
Run Time: 105 Minutes
Opening Date: Wednesday, December 10, 2025
Genre: Drama
