Award-winning Belgian actress Émilie Dequenne has tragically passed away at the age of 43 due to cancer, leaving a void in the film industry. Dequenne rose to stardom at just 18, when she won the Best Actress award at the Cannes Film Festival for her premiere role in "Rosetta" in 1999. Her extraordinary talent garnered her another Cannes accolade for the film "À Perdre la Raison" (Our Children) in 2012, and she clinched a César award in 2021 for her performance in "Les Choses Qu'on Dit, les Choses Qu'on Fait" (The Things We Say, the Things We Do).
Best known for her French-language films, Dequenne also made an impactful appearance as police officer Laurence Relaud in the acclaimed 2014 BBC TV drama "The Missing." Directed by the Dardenne brothers, "Rosetta" was a poignant narrative of a teenager's battle against a bleak existence and marked her entry into the cinematic world.
Reflecting on her remarkable presence, Luc Dardenne praised her ability to rally the film crew, calling her performance "magnificent." Dequenne last graced the Cannes red carpet at the festival just last year. She also starred in notable films such as "La fille du RER" (The Girl on the Train) in 2009, "Pas Son Genre" (Not My Type) in 2014, and the 2022 Cannes nominee "Close."
Tributes poured in from various quarters, including French Minister of Culture Rachida Dati, who expressed her sorrow, stating, "Francophone cinema has lost, too soon, a talented actress who still had so much to offer." In October 2023, Dequenne revealed her battle with adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC), a rare cancer of the adrenal gland. In an emotional final post for World Cancer Day, she reflected on her journey, stating, "What a tough fight! And we don't choose..."
