Diane Kruger
Cannes Film Festival’s top honours went to Thai director Apichatpong Weerasethakul as his film, Boonmee Raluek Chat, about human beings taking on animal forms in the Thai jungle and a man celebrating his past lives, won the Palme d’Or (The Golden Palm). The 39-year-old director told the gala ceremony that the experience of winning the award was “surreal”. “I didn’t know the concept of cinema,” he said. “With this award, I think I know a little more what cinema is, but it still remains a mystery. I think this mystery keeps us coming back here and to share our world.”
The Cannes jury, headed up by US director Tim Burton, awarded the festival’s second prize, the Grand Prix, to French director Xavier Beauvois for his movie,
Des Hommes Et Des Dieux (Of Gods And Men). The film is a compelling story about a group of monks living in Algeria during a period of rising Islamic fundamentalist violence.
There was also stiff competition for the top acting awards. Oscar-winning Spanish actor Javier Bardem and Italy’s Elio Germano shared the prize for best actor. Bardem won the award for his role in Mexican director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu’s Biutiful, in which he plays a man in a race against time. With his life coming to an end, he battles to improve the lot for those around him, including those he may have treated poorly in the past.
In Italian director Daniele Luchetti’s La Nostra Vita (Our Life), Germano plays a young father whose life is turned upside down after his wife suddenly dies. The prize of top actress went to French actress Juliette Binoche for her role in Iranian director Abbas Kiarostami’s bittersweet romantic comedy, Certified Copy. During her speech, Binoche called on Iranian authorities to release jailed filmmaker Jafar Panahi, who had been invited to join this year’s jury. The award for best director went to well-known French actor Mathieu Amalric for his feature Tournee, about a group of American burlesque performers touring the French provinces. IANS AND THEY WON...
Palme d’Or (Golden Palm): Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives by Apichatpong We e r a s e t h a k u l (Thailand)
Grand Prize: Des Hommes Et Des Dieux (Of Gods And Men) by Xavier Beauvois (France)
Jury Prize: A Screaming Man by Mahamat-Saleh Haroun (Chad)
Best Director: Mathieu Amalric for On Tour (France)
Best Actor: Javier Bardem, Biutiful (Mexico) and Elio Germano, La Nostra Vita (Italy)
Best Actress: Juliette Binoche, Certified Copy (Iran) Best Screenplay: Lee Chang-Dong, Poetry (Korea)
Camera d'Or (first-time director): Ano Bisiesto by Michael Rowe (Mexico)
Best short film: Chienne d’Histoire, by Serge Avedikian (France)
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