The jury of the 62nd Cannes Film Festival, led by Isabelle Huppert, has put the spotlight on French films.
A favorite of the critics, Jacques Audiard’s Un Prophète (A Prophet) picked up the Jury’s Grand Prix. The film also met with great success at the Market sidebar, with sales handled by Celluloid Dreams.
Alain Resnais won the Special Jury Prize, thirty years after being honored with the Grand Prix for Mon oncle d’Amérique (My American Uncle) and fifty years after the presentation of Hiroshima mon amour at Cannes.
Awards for Co-productions:
The Palme d’Or was awarded to The White Ribbon by Michael Haneke, a minority co-production with Austria. Haneke had come close to winning the festival’s top prize twice in the past, with La Pianiste (The Piano Player, aka The Piano Teacher) and Caché (Hidden).
Charlotte Gainsbourg was voted Best Actress for her performance in Lars Von Trier’s highly controversial Antichrist, a minority co-production with Denmark.
Best Direction honors went to Brillante Mendoza for Kinatay, a majority co-production with the Philippines.
The Best Screenplay award went to Nuits d'ivresse printanière (Spring Fever) by Ye Lou, a minority co-production with China.
In other festival sections, the International Critics’ Week Grand Prix was awarded to Adieu Gary by Nassim Amaouche, while Mia Hansen-Love’s Le Père de mes enfants (The Father of My Children) won the Un Certain Regard Prize.
As well as its Palme d'Or triumph, The White Ribbon was also honored with the National Education Prize and the FIPRESCI Jury Award.
The Ecumenical Prize was presented to Looking for Eric by Ken Loach, a minority co-production with the UK.
