Refugee drama picks up the big Cannes award
It was a tight race, and all the clear favourites during the festival were rewarded with various prizes. Director Jacques Audiard won the top award for “Dheepan”, his gripping drama of Sri Lankan refugees trying to get by in France. “Receiving an award from the Coen brothers is something that is quite exceptional,” he said from the stage. “I’m thinking of my father [French director Michel Audiard].” Audiard had already won a Grand Prix in 2009 for his powerful “Prophet”.
The Jury of the 68th Festival de Cannes was presided by Joel and Ethan Coen. After paying tribute to Jean Zay, a resistance hero and founder of the Festival, Lambert Wilson welcomed the prize-givers and winners onto the stage of the Grand Théâtre Lumière, to the sound of music playing. The Belgian actress, Cécile de France, had the honour of awarding the Palme d’or to the best of the 19 films in Competition.
The director and French artist, Agnès Varda, received an honorary Palme d’or for her collected works from Jane Birkin.
The closing film La Glace et le Ciel (Ice and the Sky) by Luc Jacquet was screened at the end of the event.
Many people consider the revelation of this year’s Cannes Film Festival to be Hungarian director László Nemes’ “Son of Saul“, winner of the Grand Prix. “I tried to talk about a serious subject for my generation, which is still haunted by these events,” he said. “And I wanted to shoot it on film reel because it’s important that this medium does not die out. We can still shoot and screen on film reels!”
—
FEATURE FILMS – COMPETITION
Palme d’or
DHEEPAN by Jacques AUDIARD
Grand Prix
SAUL FIA (Son of Saul) by László NEMES
Best Director Award
HOU Hsiao-Hsien for NIE YINNIANG (The Assassin)
Jury Prize
THE LOBSTER by Yorgos LANTHIMOS
Best Actress Award
Rooney MARA in CAROL by Todd HAYNES
Emmanuelle BERCOT in MON ROI by MAÏWENN
Best Actor Award
Vincent LINDON in LA LOI DU MARCHÉ (The Measure of a Man) by Stéphane BRIZÉ
Best Screenplay Award
Michel FRANCO for CHRONIC
—
SHORT FILMS – COMPETITION
Palme d’or
WAVES ’98 by Ely DAGHER
—
CAMÉRA D’OR
LA TIERRA Y LA SOMBRA by César Augusto ACEVEDO presented during La Semaine de la Critique
—
The Jury of the CST has awarded the VULCAN AWARD OF THE TECHNICAL ARTIST to: Tamas ZANYI, sound engineer, for the outstanding contribution of sound to the narration of SAUL FIA (Son of Saul) by László NEMES.