Last night’s awards ceremony wrapped this year’s Cannes Film Festival and head of The Feature Films jury, George Miller, announced the winners…
Among shock from critics, the full list of winners is as follows:
Palme D’or – I, Daniel Blake directed by Ken Loach
This is the second Palme D’or win for veteran Ken Loach, who took out the prize in 2006 for his film The Wind That Shakes The Barley. His 2016 victory I, Daniel Blake, explores the story of a middle aged widower and a man who, after injuring himself, requires state assistance for his disability. What follows is their harsh struggle with the British Social Benefits System and the real world connotations were palpable. Upon receiving his award, Loach declared: “when there is despair, the people from the far right take advantage,” and that “we must say that another world is possible and necessary”.
Grand Prix – Juste La Fin Du Monde (It’s Only the End of the World) directed by Xavier Dolan
After receiving an onslaught of disapproval at the premiere , paired with subsequent bashing from critics, to ultimately taking out the Grand Prix, Dolan couldn’t hold back tears as he accepted his award.
Best Director – Cristian Mungiu for Bacalaureat (Graduation) and Oliver Assayas for Personal Shopper
Best Screenplay – Asghar Farhadi for Forushande (The Salesman)
Jury Prize – American Honey, directed by Andrea Arnold
Best Performance by an Actress – Jaclyn Jose in Ma’ Rosa directed by Brillante Mendoza
Best Performance by an Actor – Shahab Hosseini in Forushande (The Salesman) directed by Asghar Farhadi
Short Film Palme D’or – Timecode directed by Juanjo Gimenez
Camera D’or – Divines directed by Houda Benyamina
It seems as though critics and the Jury experienced a huge disconnect this year, with only Bacalaureat (Graduation) actually winning anything from the critics selected top 5 (see Screen International). Juste La Fin Du Monde received boos, American Honey polarised audiences and Maren Ade’s Toni Erdmann didn’t receive a single award… However, whether it was the Jury or the critics who were off base, soon the films’ release will allow us to be the judge of that…
