25/05/2008

Laurent Cantet scored a surprise triumph this evening at the 61st Cannes Film Festival with his film The Class (see news), putting an end to a 21-year dearth of Palme d’Ors for France.

Italy claimed an extraordinary double success with the Grand Prize for Matteo Garrone’s Gomorrah (see news) and the Jury Prize for Paolo Sorrentino’s Il divo (“The Deity”) (see news).

The Best Screenplay Award went to Belgian directors Luc and Jean-Pierre Dardenne for Lorna’s Silence (see news).

Europe won further honours with the Best Director Award going to Nuri Bilge Ceylan for his Turkish/French/Italian feature Three Monkeys (see news), and the Lifetime Achievement Award going to Catherine Deneuve.

The Best Actor Award went to US star Benicio Del Toro for his performance in Steven Soderbergh’s Che (see news). This marks an indirect victory for Europe, as the film was almost entirely financed by French-based Wild Bunch and Spanish company Telecinco, whom the actor thanked when receiving his award.

Finally, the future belongs to Europe, with the Camera d’Or going to UK director Steve McQueen’s debut feature Hunger (see news) and the Palme d’Or for Best Short Film going to a Romanian title.

Palme d´Or
The Class [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Carole Scotta
interview: Laurent Cantet
film profile] by Laurent Cantet

Grand Jury Prize
Gomorra [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Domenico Procacci
interview: Jean Labadie
interview: Matteo Garrone
film profile] by Matteo Garrone (IT)

Best Actress
Sandra Corveloni - Linha de Passe (BR)

Best Actor
Benicio Del Toro - Che [+see also:
trailer
film profile] (FR/ES/US)

Special Prize - Ex Aequo
Catherine Deneuve
Clint Eastwood

Best Director
Three Monkeys [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Zeynep Ozbatur
film profile] di Nuri Bilge (TK)

Best Screenplay
Lorna's Silence [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Arta Dobroshi
interview: Arta Dobroshi
interview: Jean-Pierre et Luc Dardenne
interview: Olivier Bronckart
film profile] by Luc and Jean-Pierre Dardenne (BE)

Jury Prize
Il Divo [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Nicola Giuliano
interview: Paolo Sorrentino
interview: Philippe Desandre
film profile] by Paolo Sorrentino (IT)

Caméra d´Or
Hunger [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Laura Hastings-Smith Rob…
interview: Steve McQueen
film profile] by Steven McQueen (UK, AU)
Special Mention
Everybody Dies but Me by Valeria Gaia Germanica (RU)

Palme d´Or for Best Short Film
Megatron by Marian Crisan (RO)
Special Mention
Jerrycan by Julius Avery (AT)

(Translated from French)