With Tim Burton at its head, the jury of the 63rd Cannes Film Festival cast the spotlight on French films.
A critics' favorite, Of Gods and Men by Xavier Beauvois picked up the Cannes Film Festival jury's Grand Prize.
Honored by more than one award, Of Gods and Men also won the Ecumenical Jury Prize and the National Education Award. There was speculation that the film might take the Palme d’Or, but this honor went to Oncle Boonmee, Who Can Recall His Past Lives by Apichatpong Weerasethakul, a minority co-production with Thailand.
After winning the FIPRESCI Award, Mathieu Amalric waltzed off with Best Director honors for his fourth feature film, On Tour, which was also well-received by critics and journalists.
Juliette Binoche was crowned Best Actress for her role in Certified Copy by Abbas Kiarostami, a majority co-production with Iran, which also won the Youth Award. Binoche now ranks as one of the rare actresses to have been honored at the three major international film festivals: Venice (for Bleu), Berlin (for The English Patient), and now Cannes.
The Jury Prize went to A Screaming Man, a majority co-production with Chad. This marks the first time that an African film has been rewarded at Cannes.
The Palme d’Or for Best Short Film was awarded to Chienne d'histoire by Serge Avédikian.
In other festival sections, Anywhere Out of the World by Vincent Cardona received the Cinéfondation 2nd Prize, while Lily Sometimes by Fabienne Berthaud won the Art Cinema Award.
