Canadian filmmaker Xavier Dolan has only 22 years of age under his belt, but that hasn’t kept him from building an image as a major rising force on the international film market. His first two features, I Killed My Mother and Heartbeats, both received Cannes premieres, with the latter film debuting in the Un Certain Regard category. Laurence Anyways, his latest, expectedly controversial-sounding project, has just received a batch of first-look images, and it’s quite likely that the timing of these film-still reveals could coincide with the announcement of a Cannes premiere. [The Playlist]

Unlike the two aforementioned films, Dolan is not set to appear in Laurence Anyways, though he is, once again, the sole credited screenwriter. The story, which is reportedly set in 1989, “[centers] on Laurence (Melvil Poupaud), who reveals on his 30th birthday his secret desire of becoming a woman.” It certainly sounds like it’s bound to tackle some of the same issues of sexuality that Dolan explored in his semi-autobiographical debut.

Take a glace at the rest of the early-look images below. Like the Cosmopolis- and Rust and Bone-centered news that came to light yesterday, a Cannes showing isn’t yet confirmed for Laurence Anyways. But it certainly looks to be in the cards, and we’ll be sure to notify you once the official word is revealed.

Have you seen either of Dolan’s first two films? What did you think?