Emilie Dequenne, Cannes Best Actress Winner for 'Rosetta,' Died at 43

Emilie Dequenne, who won best actress at the Cannes Film Festival at 17 for her portrayal in the Belgian film "Rosetta," died on Sunday at the Gustave Roussy hospital in Villejuif, France. Her age was 43.

Dequenne's family reported to French news agency Afp on Sunday night that she died of a rare malignancy at a hospital in Paris. In October 2023, she announced that she had been diagnosed with adrenocortical carcinoma, a rare and severe adrenal cancer.

She discussed her diagnosis during an appearance on the French network TF1's television show "Sept à Huit" in December 2024.  She added that after her initial symptoms, she had blood tests and scans, which led to the detection of a big lump. She discussed the importance of being open about her disease and the loneliness it created.

Dequenne rose to prominence when she received the best actress prize at the Cannes Film Festival in 1999 for the film Rosetta, when she was 18 years old.

She went on to feature in a variety of films, including "The Brotherhood of the Wolf," "The Bridge of San Luis Rey," "Our Children," and "This Is Our Land."

Dequenne has acted in approximately 50 films and earned multiple accolades, including a César, one of France's highest cinema distinctions, for best supporting actress in Emmanuel Mouret's 2020 film "Love Affair(s)," ("Les Choses Qu'on Dit, les Choses Qu'on Fait").

She was most recognized for her parts in Belgian filmmaker Joachim Lafosse's 2012 drama "Our Children" ("À perdre la raison") and "Rosetta."

Other significant credits for Dequenne include the Belgian rom-com "Not My Type" (2014), political drama "This Is Our Land" (2017), Emmanuel Mouret's "Love Affair(s)" (2020), and Lukas Dhont's coming-of-age drama "Close" (2022). Last year, she went to Cannes to commemorate the 25th anniversary of "Rosetta." Her final picture was the English-language disaster movie "Survive."

Dequenne was born August 29, 1981, in Beloeil, Belgium. She studied drama at Belgium's Académie de Musique et des Arts de la Parole de Baudour. She began acting studies at the age of 12 and attended the Music & Spoken Word Academy before joining the La Relève Theater group.

Last May, while her disease was in remission, she attended the Cannes Film Festival to commemorate the 25th anniversary of "Rosetta." She also promoted the new film "Survive," which was released last year. She most recently starred in the film "TKT," which is about bullying and takes place at a Belgian high school.

She is survived by her husband, Michel Ferracci, and their daughter, Milla Savarese, with her previous lover, Belgian DJ Alexandre Savarese.