Cannes 60th: And the awards goes to...

It's over finally.

The winners will probably end up being some of the most interesting of the year, and most likely will not hit Canadian theatres till the fall, if they show at all. We should expect to see them though at the Toronto and Vancouver films in September. Nothing was awarded to festival favourites Wong Kar Wai, the Coen Brothers, or Quentin Tarantino for his new cut of Death Proof.

Continue to full listings, and Cannes Festival press releases. It's lengthy and long winded, but we've sifted through all the Canens Press releases (and there are quite a few of them) so you don't have to. So, if you're interested in what the hot films coming out over the next year are, by all means.

And the Palme D'Or goes to...



· Palme d’Or (Golden Palm): “4 Months, 3 weeks and 2 days”, Cristian Mungiu, Romania
· Grand Prize: “The Mourning Forest,” Naomi Kawase, Japan
· Jury Prize: film festival “Persepolis,” Marjane Satrapi and Vincent Paronnaud, Iran and France; and “Silent Light,” Carlos Reygadas, Mexico
· 60th Anniversary Prize: Gus Van Sant, “Paranoid Park,” United States
· Best Director: “The Diving Bell and the Butterfly,” Julian Schnabel, United States
· Best Actor: Konstantin Lavronenko, “The Banishment,” Russia
· Best Actress: Jeon Do-yeon, “Secret Sunshine,” South Korea
· Best Screenplay: “The Edge of Heaven,” Fatih Akin, Germany
· Golden Camera/ Camera D'or (first-time director): “Meduzot,” Etgar Keret and Shira Geffen, Israel
· Best short film: “Watching it Rain”, Elisa Miller, Mexico

The Canal + Grand Prize for the Best Short Film went to Madame Tutli-Putli by Canadians Chris Lavis and Maciek Sczerbowski.

(Cannes Press Releases)

Palme d’Or (Golden Palm): “4 Months, 3 weeks and 2 days”, Cristian Mungiu, Romania

Jane Fonda awarded the Palme d'Or of this 60th Cannes Festival to Cristian Mungiu for 4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days.

During the closing Ceremony, Cristian Mungui declared:

“It seems like a fairy tale. One year ago we didn’t have any idea about this project and some six months ago, we didn’t have any money to make it and finally, we were just hoping to be in Cannes in any kind of competition. So I just want to thank very much the Jury and I want to thank very much the people from the Festival for allowing us into Competition to start with, because it really made all the difference for us. The kind of attention that we got here all along the Festival, this story that we believe in so much, is going to reach lots of people now. I also hope that this award that I’m getting now is going to be of good use for small filmmakers in small countries everywhere, because it looks like you don’t necessarily need a big budget and a lot of stars to have your story heard.”

At the press conference for the winners, Cristian Mungiu talked about what this means to Romanian filmmakers: “I honestly think this is just about the best event that happened to a wave of Romanian cinema that manifested itself in the last years already. I’m very happy to thank my colleagues, Romanian filmmakers. Without their successes in the past years, I couldn’t have been here. (…) This really gives us a sort of confidence. It’s the ultimate recognition for a filmmaker. And it gives us the strength to go on with other good stories."

For the fourth time in the history of the Cannes Festival, the Jury had an opportunity to enlarge upon its award decisions. At a press conference, Jury President Stephen Frears and Jurors Maggie Cheung, Maria De Medeiros, Abderrahmane Sissako, Orhan Pamuk, Toni Collette, Michel Piccoli, Marco Bellocchio, and Sarah Polley fielded questions from journalists. Highlights follow.
Orhan Pamuk on the Palme d’Or:

"The Romanian film that got the Palme d'Or is a great work. The Romanian people can be proud of this director. It was a great pleasure to watch every second of the film. There's a lot in it, in terms of both structure and meaning. We were quite satisfied; there wasn't much debate about awarding him this Palme. (…) Lastly, I'd like to say that I am not in the filmmaking profession; I'm a writer. I wanted to express my thanks to all these people who are professional filmmakers, who helped me feel comfortable. (…) The only criterion I had in mind to make these choices was to listen to my own conscience and trust in my own tastes. We all expressed our opinions, each juror in turn, on all the films, with a great sense of democracy, and it was marvelous. We discussed each of the films thoroughly and we reached the best decisions possible. Congratulations to Romania for this film."

On the decision-making process:

Michel Piccoli: "We didn't unanimously agree. It's impossible for nine people to think the same thing about something so delicate, so important to the person presenting his film. Fortunately. Otherwise, we'd have been oppressed by a dictatorial Jury president. It was quite the opposite. We all listened to each other a great deal. Each was free to defend the ideas he or she cherished, the ideas that were essential to him or her."

Marco Bellocchio: "Everyone has ideas about life, about beauty, about politics, about an ideology… A Jury like ours must work towards mutual understanding and find a compromise. It was a wonderful experience. The best part of the festival is seeing films from all over the world. At the time of judging and debating, it's work. But we also found a way to amuse each other and make friends."

On one's duties as Juror:

Abderrahmane Sissako: "Being a Juror is not an easy job. Before this Festival, we didn't know each other. I believe the personality of the Jury President matters a lot. Stephen put us all at ease on the first day. We felt comfortable; we felt free. We didn't have the feeling that there were specialists. We were all viewers in love with film, listening to each other and exchanging ideas. The choices were easy. It was harmonious, actually."

Michel Piccoli: "It was extremely difficult to be a Juror, extremely intimidating. How could one dare to give prizes to such and such a person? Fortunately, I was not alone. But I listened to the others, and they gave me advice; they enlightened me about things I hadn't thought of. Of course, I had my own opinions, and it was entirely consensual. I'm very happy about the choices I really fought for. I won; not every time, but I won enough times."

On the Jury experience:

Maria De Meideros: “I don’t think we had any previous criteria but since I’m talking into the mike, I would like to thank our President Stephen Frears; he was a wonderful president, and all the members of the Jury. It’s probably the greatest jury I’ve been part of. It was very interesting. Each of our meetings was a real open discussion on each film and it was fascinating to just follow each member’s ideas, so it was really a fantastic experience. Of course, we had a lot of wonderful films to choose from and that’s difficult, but we had a wonderful time.”

Sarah Polley: "I feel that I lived more in the past ten or eleven days than I have in my whole life. Everyone seemed to approach the discussions with immense curiosity and engagement and I’ve never seen a group of people listen to each other so carefully.”

Stephen Frears: “There are no formal rules. It was very easy-going, it seemed to me. These people up here are very mutinous and wouldn’t do what I told them. We didn’t watch the films together, sometimes, but purely by coincidence. We met last Sunday, we met on Thursday and we met last night and again today.”

Toni Collette on the 60th Anniversary Award: “We wanted to give the prize to someone whose film we admired in this particular Festival but whose body of work was also incredible and we were all in agreement about Gus.”

Grand Prize: “The Mourning Forest,” Naomi Kawase, Japan

The Grand Prize was awarded by Carole Bouquet to Naomi Kawase for The Mourning Forest.

Naomi Kawase had these words to say:

"It's wonderful to have been able to make films and to continue making them. I'm happy. It's very difficult to make a film. I think it's as difficult as living; it is similar to life. In a life, you also encounter many difficulties, many things that make you suffer; there are many things that make you hesitate or stumble on your path. At those moments, I believe, you look for something deep within that can restore your confidence and strength. You try to find strengths – and I don't mean money, cars, or clothing – it's not necessarily something visible. It can be the wind, the light, the memory of the Ancients which gives us their strength. And when you find that foothold in the world, you can be all alone and go on. Thank you for appreciating my film, for recognizing what I wanted to say with it. Thank you very much! This is a wonderful world."

At the laureates' press conference, Naomi Kwase then spoke of her personal evolution:

"When I was awarded the Caméra d'Or ten years ago, I didn't have a clue beforehand. The prize fell out of the sky; it was totally unexpected. In the ten years since then, I've made pretty many films; I've continued directing. I felt that there were viewers all over the world who appreciated my filmmaking. I felt I had some responsibility to them. Moreover, as my film was the only Japanese production selected in Competition at Cannes, I felt even greater pressure. It was a burden, a pretty crushing responsibility. I was a bit worried, coming into the auditorium. Over the past ten years, the Festival has grown considerably, and I myself have also progressed. I'm going to keep making films, step by step, trying to match my personal growth to that of Cannes. (...) I wanted the invisible things to be as important as the visible ones. I want the whole world to be aware of this message, and perceive it. I think the Grand Prize will increase the visibility of this message."

60th Anniversary Prize: Gus Van Sant, “Paranoid Park,” United States

Jury President Stephen Frears awarded a 60th Anniversary Prize to Gus Van Sant for Paranoid Park.

Gus Van Sant accepted this Anniversary Award and expressed his appreciation:

"Thanks, Stephen, and thanks to the Jury and thanks to the family Karmitz for backing this film. It had very humble beginnings and for the short film as well. Thanks to my producers. Of course thanks to Gilles Jacob and Thierry Frémaux for this Festival; it’s been a really good one this year. Thanks to Chris Doyle and Rain Li for the cinematography and Blake Nelson for writing the original book that it’s from and all the others who helped make it."

Best Director: “The Diving Bell and the Butterfly,” Julian Schnabel, United States

The prize for Best Director was awarded by Michelle Yeoh to Julian Schnabel for Le Scaphandre et le Papillon (The Diving Bell and the Butterfly).

Julian Schnabel expressed his gratitude:

"Thank you, I’d like to thank Mathieu Amalric. As I came up, I wanted to start singing ‘Thank goodness for little girls, they grow up…’ and I did, because I thought I was making a movie about a paralyzed guy but I realized I was making a film about women. I want to thank Max Von Sydow, Niels Arestrup, Patrick Chesnais and all the French actors that were ‘chaleureux avec moi’; Many times I’ve heard that the problem with France is the French, but that’s a lie. I have to thank Jerome Seydoux, who has been the most congenial distributor I’ve ever met in my life, and his family. And I have to say to my sons and daughters. If I did get the palme d’Or, I was going to give it to Bernado Bertolucci. It doesn’t matter if I didn’t get it. Thank all of you for your generosity, Gilles Jacob and Thierry. In my wildest dreams I would never believe I was here because I’m just a movie fan, I never thought I’d be a movie director, but I was crazy about the hit. Thank you and see you around."

Julian Schnabel addressed the press about winning the Best Director Award:

“It would be exactly the same if I won the Palme d’Or. I was doing it spontaneously. I don’t really see the difference. I didn’t make this movie to get a prize. I’m very happy that everyone included me in this club. There are a lot of people who have walked up these stairs and shown their movies here. So for me it’s a great honor to be included.”

Best Screenplay: “The Edge of Heaven,” Fatih Akin, Germany

Awarded by Charlotte Rampling, the Best Screenplay went to Fatih Akin for The Edge of Heaven.

Fatih Akin:

“Thank you much, the Jury. I have to write a new screenplay and that will inspire me a lot. I want to thank all the people who have worked on the film, everybody, whole crew. I want to thank my wife. I have one message for Turkey. All is one, united we stand, divided we fall.”

During the press conference for the winners, Fatih Akin proudly declared: “I am so proud to bring this award to Hamburg and celebrate with my friends. That’s right, I’ve always dreamed about coming here and have a film in competition. To be in competition is so hard, this is madness, but once you’re here, you really get addicted to it. I can’t wait to have another film here in competition…I hope 2 or 3 years if everything works well.

Best Actor: Konstantin Lavronenko, “The Banishment,” Russia

The prize for Best Leading Actor was awarded to Konstantin Lavronenko for his performance in The Banishment by Andreï Zyvagintsev.

Andreï Zvyagintsev addressed the audience:

"Good evening. I'm more than delighted for Konstantin. He deserved this prize. Thank you to the Jury. Thank you to the Festival management. Thank you, audience. I am happy."

Speaking of his actor Konstantin Lavronenko at the laureates' press conference, Banishment director Andreï Zvyagintsev added: "You probably already know him, because he was the leading man in my earlier film, The Return. He made his film debut at the age of 42. Before that, Konstantin was a stage actor. He had studied at the School of Popular Theater in Moscow. Then, one day, he realized that he had devoted his whole life to the stage, and only the stage. He started acting for film in a studio that was a pretty unofficial, "underground" affair. The first time I saw him was in 1992; then, there was nothing. It was almost a miracle ten years later when I began preparing to make my film and I remembered him. In my opinion, he's a wonderful actor, because he has this ability to remain on camera, simply waiting, with composure. He pauses for a certain amount of time, and then utters the two or three words I ask him to say. Personally, I feel that an actor who can do without deliberately performing emotion and concentrate on his innermost self is extremely courageous."

Best Actress: Jeon Do-yeon, “Secret Sunshine,” South Korea.

The prize for Best Leading Actress was awarded by Alain Delon to South Korean actress Jeon Do-yeon for her performance in Secret Sunshine by Lee Chang-dong.

Jeon Do-yeon was overjoyed:

"Good evening. I can't believe I'm up here. I heard that there were masses of wonderful actresses during the Festival; I hope that I might be able to represent them today. I am truly honored, in any case, to have this Prize; I don't know how to receive it... Of course, I want to thank the Cannes Festival and the members of the Jury. I thank director Lee Chang-dong, who gave me the opportunity to play this role, and especially the actor Song Kang-ho, thanks to whom I was able to exist. I thank all of you who appreciated this film Secret Sunshine. I will never forget it, for the rest of my life. Thank you very much!"

At the laureates' press conference, Jeon Do-yeon added this about her award: "It's the first time I've come to a foreign festival. I was very honored to be invited to a festival as big as Cannes. Naturally, I'm delighted to have received this Best Actress award. Before the ceremony, I was really tense; I did all I could to relax, saying to myself that nothing would happen. The people around me wouldn't stop talking to me about it, and I really felt like hiding. I'd like to thank you all."

The Jury Prize (tie): Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi and to Silent Light by Carlos Reygadas.

The Jury Prize, a tie, was awarded by Jamel Debbouze to Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi and to Silent Light by Carlos Reygadas.

Marjane Satrapi, once on stage, said:

"I'll speak for both directors. We want to express our thanks Gilles Jacob and Thierry Frémaux for having selected our film. We thank the Jury for having awarded the Prize to us. We thank the whole crew of ninety people who worked with us for two years. Personally, although this film is universal, I wish to dedicate the prize to all Iranians."

Carlos Reygadas said: "Good evening. Thank you to Jaime, Natalia, Jean Labadie, the Festival, and the jurors."

At the laureates' press conference, Carlos Reygadas took the microphone to add the following: "It's a very important prize, because it helps us blaze a trail for other Mexican filmmakers and, even more, for filmmakers all over the world who are interested in a cinema which sometimes departs from the laws of total identification and clarification, a cinema that likes temporary ambiguity, that likes expression using means that are not always the customary ones (…) I feel very comfortable. I didn't expect everyone to be extremely well-disposed towards the film, especially after three screenings the same day. But the reality is that many people loved it. I find that incredibly touching. (…) I think powerful films are not for everyone. (...) I wasn't expecting any particular prize. I was ready to win everything, or win nothing. It's a very special prize, which doesn't really indicate whether the screenplay or the acting is the main subject of the award. It's a global prize."

Palme d'Or Best Short film, Ver Llover (Watching it Rain) by Elisa Miller.

Awarded by the Cinéfondation-Short Film Jury presided by Jia Zhangke along with actress Marina Hands, the Palme d'Or for Best Short film was awarded to Ver Llover (Watching it Rain) by Elisa Miller.

Elisa Miller:

"Thank you very much! Gracias! I'm very, very happy. I thank the Festival. It was incredible to be here. I thank Mexico. Thank you!"

Two special mentions went to Ah Ma (Grandma) by Anthony Chen and Run by Mark Albiston.

Camera d'Or: Meduzot (Jellyfish) by Etgar Keret and Shira Geffen, Israel

Director Pavel Lounguine, president of the short film Jury, and Clotilde Courau, member of the Jury, awarded the Camera d'Or to Meduzot (Jellyfish) by Etgar Keret and Shira Geffen, presented in the Critics' Week selection.

A special mention went to Control by Anton Corbijn, presented in the Directors' Fortnight section.

Etgar Keret: “Actually, they told us to write down everything, but it’s too exciting to read it. Everything here is so far from our lives. I haven’t worn a suit since my Bar Mitzvah. Thank you very much. My strong wife."

Shira Geffen: “We would like to thank all the people that made this film possible, and especially our producers.”

Etgar Keret: ”We also want to thank the great actors and the wonderful editors and an amazing cinematographer.”

Shira Geffen: “And of course, La Semaine de la Critique and our legendary agent.”

Special Golden Palm: Jane Fonda

The President of the Cannes Festival, Gilles Jacob, bestowed a Special Golden Palm on American actress Jane Fonda during a dinner at the Carlton Hotel, paying tribute to her career and her commitment. This makes the fourth career achievement Palme d’Or awarded to an actor or filmmaker in the history of the Festival. The three others went to French directors Alain Resnais and Gerard Oury as well as French actress Jeanne Moreau.

Mr. Jacob ironically remarked:

“I would never have imagined that the Cannes Festival would honor an FBI suspect, one who has at least 20,000 pages in her file,” in allusion to all her active participation against the war in Vietnam and more recently against the war in Iraq. He continued, “You are a fighter and a winner.”

Jane Fonda was obviously overwhelmed by this exceptional award.

Un Certain Regard: California Dreamin’ by Cristian Nemescu, Romania

At the closing ceremonies, California Dreamin’ by Romanian director Cristian Nemescu, who was recently killed in an automobile accident, was awarded the Un Certain Regard prize by the Jury presided by filmmaker Pascale Ferran. As the first feature-length film made by 27-year-old Nemescu, California Dreamin' is also in the running for a Caméra d'Or. The story was inspired by an event which actually did occur during the Kosovo war. In 1999, in a small rural Romanian village, the railway station master, who was also the village rascal, stopped a NATO train carrying a load of military equipment. The freight, guarded by American soldiers, was crossing Romania without having officially cleared customs: the Romanian government had simply granted permission verbally. With the arrival of the Americans, the village became the place where anything was possible.

The young cineaste first attracted notice last year at Critics' Week, which presented his 45-minute masterpiece Marilena de la P7, the portrait of a teenage boy in love with a prostitute. Pascale Ferran, awarding the prize to California Dreamin' tonight, praised it as "far and above, the most lively and liberated film proposal we've seen in our ten days here." The jury had initially decided not to judge the film, because it had not been completed, due to Nemescu's death. But the jurors reconsidered their decision after watching the film Friday night. "Our rock-solid theory collapsed," Pascale Ferran commented.

Two other prizes were awarded by the Un Certain Regard Jury. The Special Jury Prize went to Valeria Bruni-Tedeschi for Actresses, and The Band's Visit by Israeli director Eran Kolirin, having won the jurors' hearts, received the Prix Coup de Cœur.

Other Awards

- At Directors' Fortnight, Control by Dutch filmmaker Anton Corbijn received the Prix Regards Jeunes (Young Eyes Prize), awarded to a first or second feature-length film, as well as the Label Europa Cinéma Prize, intended for the best European film of the Fortnight.

Garage by Ireland's Lenny Abrahamson was the winner of the Prix Art et Essai, which gave honorable mention to the aforementioned Control and to Gegenüber (Counterparts) by Jan Bonny, of Germany. Note that the SACD Prize for Best Short Film in French was awarded to Même pas Mort by Claudine Natkin.

- The International Critics' Week Grand Prize, intended as a groundbreaking prize whereby the film press rewards rising new talents, was awarded to XXY by Lucia Puenzo of Argentina.

The SACD French Society of Dramatic Authors and Composers, a collective managing authors' rights, bestowed its honors upon Meduzot by Israeli filmmakers Etgar Keret and Shira Geffen.

The Canal + Grand Prize for the Best Short Film went to Madame Tutli-Putli by Canadians Chris Lavis and Maciek Sczerbowski.

- The Jury of the FIPRESCI (International Federation of Film Critics) awarded the International Critics Prize to 4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days by Romanian Cristian Mungiu, presented in the Official Competition.

Honorable mention was awarded to The Band's Visit by Eran Kolirin, from the Un Certain Regard section.

Lastly, in the sidebar programs Critics' Week and Directors' Fortnight, the FIPRESCI singled out Elle s'appelle Sabine, the first film directed by French actress Sandrine Bonnaire, about her autistic sister.

- The Ecumenical Jury Prize was awarded to The Edge of Heaven by Fatih Akin, presented in Competition.

The Jury mentioned:

"This film skillfully tells the story of the intersecting destinies in Germany and Turkey of men and women from different backgrounds. It makes the viewer aware of the pain and complexity of the loss of cultural identity and relationships, as well as the valuable cultural exchanges, transitions, and cohabitations possible between these two worlds. Two other major themes are parent-child relationships, sacrifice, and reconciliation." Established in 1974, the Ecumenical Jury designates works of artistic quality, film testimonials to the depth of human feeling and its mystery, through human preoccupations, hopes, and despairs.

- The 26th Youth Prize was awarded to The Band's Visit by Eran Kolirin, presented in Un Certain Regard. This reward, created in 1982 by the French Ministry of Youth, Sports, and Community Organizations, enables a jury of young film-lovers to give their verdict about the films presented in Competition and in the Un Certain Regard section.

- The French National Education Administration Prize, which singles out films for their usefulness as learning resources, was awarded to 4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days by Romanian filmmaker Cristian Mungiu. The jurors are teachers and other members of the community of educators, as well as people from the film world. Actress Bernadette Laffont was the president of this year's jury. The winning film will be issued as a teaching DVD which will facilitate approach to it and elicit analysis and debate in the classroom.

- The Prix France-Culture is awarded yearly by French national public radio during the Cannes Festival to a filmmaker for career achievement. The 2007 prize went to Cambodian Rithy Panh "for the intensity of his work and his commitment to the presentation of Cambodia's cinematographic memory." Charlotte Rampling was president of the jury.

And there you have it.


Via Festival de Cannes