Everything that was predicted pretty much came true by the end of the 11-day Festival de Cannes as it celebrated its 65th anniversary. It was a year with no big controversies, repeat winners and an American slate of films that were almost entirely shut out of the award proceedings.
Michael Haneke entered as one of the favorites, having won awards previously with The Piano Teacher, Cache and the Palme D’Or winning The White Ribbon just 3 years ago, and now he’s won the big prize for the second time in 4 years with his new one, Amour about love among a couple in their twilight years. Hailed as a masterpiece early on in the festival and eventually becoming the inevitable front-runner, it now stands to reason that is also the front-runner for best foreign language film going into the busy fall season. Look for its North American premiere to occur in Toronto in September.
The octogenarian couple in the film played by France’s own Emmanuelle Riva and Jean-Louis Trintignant had been the favorites to win awards in the acting categories, but momentary shock ran through the crowd when Madds Mikkelsen took the prize for Best Actor for his role in The Hunt, the new drama by Thomas Vinterberg (The Celebration), which also picked up the Ecumenical Jury’s top prize. The film as well as Mikkelsen’s performance were lauded, but the frenchies were pulling for Trintignant.
Best Actress was shared between co-stars Cosmina Stratan and Cristina Flutur for Beyond the Hills, directed by Cristian Mungiu, who also won best screenplay for his Romanian drama. Mungiu won the Palme d’Or for 4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days in 2007. Beyond the Hills was met with warm enough praise, but not like his previous effort.
Mexico’s Carlos Reygadas took the Best Director prize for Post Tenebras Lux, a dreamlike exploration of the undercurrent of menace within Mexican society today. His last film was the wonderful religious drama Silent Light.
The second-place prize–Le Grand Prix–went to previous Grand Prix winner for Gomorrah director Matteo Garrone‘s new one, Reality, which was lauded as a good but minor film from him.
Also proclaimed a minor effort was the third-place finisher–the Cannes Jury Prize–Ken Loach for his new comedy Angel’s Share. He previously won the Palme D’Or for The Wind That Shakes the Barley.
Brazilian director Carlos Diegues headed the Camera D’Or jury, which awards the prize for best first feature film, and this is where the only American production won anything for the indie drama Beasts of the Southern Wild by Behn Zeitlin. It got the greatest applause of the festival.
In the Un Certain Regard set of films, with jury head Tim Roth at the helm, they bestowed awards on a couple of the films playing out of competition. The final “A Certain Regard” choices were diverse, with the top prize going to Despues de Lucia by Mexican director Michel Franco, a film about a girl and her father struggling with starting over in a new town. The Special Jury Prize went to the French film Le Grand Soir by Benoit Delepine and Gustave Kervern, in which two brothers aim to spearhead a punk revolution following personal economic disaster.
Make a list and check it twice through the summer, TIFF will no doubt be premiering many if not all of these intriguing selections.
In case you missed it, the Un Certain Regard and Cinéfondation awards were announced earlier. Now we are onto the big ones. Below is the list of the full award winners for those films that screened In Competition during the 65 Festival de Cannes.
Palme d’Or: AMOUR (LOVE) – Michael HANEKE
Grand Prix: Reality – Matteo GARRONE
Prix de la Mise en Scene (best director): Carlos Reygadas - Post Tenebras Lux
Prix du Scenario (best screenplay): Beyond the Hills written and directed by Cristian Mungiu
Camera d’Or (best first feature): Carlos Reygadas – Post Tenebras Lux
Prix du Jury (jury prize): The Angels Share directed by Ken Loach
Prix d’interpretation feminine (best actress): Cristina Flutur & Cosmina Stratan - Beyond The Hills
Prix d’interpretation masculine (best actor): Mads Mikkelsen - Jagten (The Hunt/La Chasse)
As we wrap up the 65th Festival de Cannes, so come the awards. The In Competition Programme anchored by the Palme D’or is the last of the awards to be announced, however the Awards for Un Certain Regard and the Cinéfondation were announced earlier with director Michel Franco‘s Despues de Lucia taking the top prize in the Un Certain Regard and Doroga Na (The Road To) directed by Taisia Igumentseva taking the top prize in the Cinéfondation programme.
The decision was decided by a jury presided over by actor and director Tim Roth.
“This was an extraordinarily strong group of films and our deliberations were passionate,” Roth said in a statement. “The film makers never once failed us! Incredible!”
UN CERTAIN REGARD :
Un Certain Regard Special Distinction DJECA (CHILDREN OF SARAJEVO) directed by Aida BEGIC
Un Certain Regard Award for Best Actress À PERDRE LA RAISON played by Emilie DEQUENNE LAURENCE ANYWAYS played by Suzanne CLÉMENT
Un Certain Regard Special Jury Prize LE GRAND SOIR directed by Gustave KERVERN, Benoît DELÉPINE
Prize of Un Certain Regard DESPUÉS DE LUCIA directed by Michel FRANCO
1st Prize Cinéfondation DOROGA NA (THE ROAD TO) directed by Taisia IGUMENTSEVA
2nd Prize – Cinéfondation ABIGAIL directed by Matthew James REILLY
3rd Prize Cinéfondation LOS ANFITRIONES (THE HOSTS) directed by Miguel Angel MOULET
One of the most anticipated films of the 65 Festival de Cannes is Canadian director David Cronenberg‘s Cosmopolis. All the trailers and posters we have seen seem to indicate that the Cronenberg we grew up with is back. The film looks odd, creepy and of course very well-shot. Check out the First Reactions to the gala premiere it just had below:
About the Film New York is in turmoil, the age of capitalism is drawing to a close end. Eric Packer, a high finance golden boy, dives into a white limousine. While a visit from the President of the United States paralyses Manhattan, Eric Packer has one obsession: getting a haircut at his barber’s at the other end of the city. As the day goes by, chaos sets in, and he watches helplessly as his empire collapses. Also he is sure that someone is going to assassinate him. When? Where? He is about to live the most decisive 24 hours of his life.
Looks like we have our first flop at the 65th Festival de Cannes. Lee Daniels The Paperboy starring Zac Efron, Nicole Kidman and Matthew McConaughey just screened and man are the reactions extreme. There are some funny ones as well as some with extreme opinions about it. Check out the first reactions below.
About the Film The story of a young man who returns to his small Florida home town to help his reporter brother uncover the truth about a man on death row, who might have been wrongly convicted. In the process, he falls for the convict’s lover. Conflict, danger, deceit, seduction and betrayal ensue.
Out of nowhere, we have a sleeper on our hands for the Palm D’Or. It seems that Leos Carax‘s Holy Motors starring Kylie Minogue and Eva Mendes has caught everyone off guard with surprise 5 star reviews all around. First reactions to the gala that happened recently plus the trailer is below.
About the Film From dawn to dusk, a few hours in the life of Monsieur Oscar, a shadowy character who journeys from one life to the next. He is, in turn, captain of industry, assassin, beggar, monster, family man…
He seems to be playing roles, plunging headlong into each part – but where are the cameras?
Monsieur Oscar is alone, accompanied only by Céline, the slender blonde woman behind the wheel of the vast engine that transports him through and around Paris. He’s like a conscientious assassin moving from hit to hit.
In pursuit of the beautiful gesture, the mysterious driving force, the women and the ghosts of past lives.
But where is his true home, his family, his rest?