27/05/2007

Who would have thought at the beginning of the 60th Cannes Film Festival that the Palme d’Or would go to 4 Months, 3 Weeks And 2 Days [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Cristian Mungiu
interview: Oleg Mutu
film profile] (see news)?

A film that tackles the issue of abortion, the second feature by Romanian director Cristian Mungiu was the second title to be shown in competition. It immediately conquered international critics and then the jury, headed by Stephen Frears. Discovered in 2002 in the Directors' Fortnight with Occident, 39-year old Mungiu is now making history as his name and country are added to the historical list of Cannes grand prize winners.

Following yesterday’s triumph in Un Certain Regard of Cristian Nemescu's California Dreamin’ [+see also:
trailer
film profile], the Palme d’Or is further recognition of a new generation of Romanian filmmakers – the 2006 Camera d'Or went to 12:08 East of Bucharest [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Corneliu Porumboiu
interview: Daniel Burlac
film profile] and the 2005 UCR Award to The Death of Mr. Lazarescu [+see also:
trailer
film profile].

However, Mungiu's win seems even more significant, as he himself produced 4 Months, 3 Weeks And 2 Days through Mobra Film, with Paris-based Wild Bunch handling international sales.

Asian cinema also made a splash tonight. The Grand Jury Prize went to Naomi Kawase's The Mourning Forest, a Japanese title co-produced at 50% by France's Celluloid Dreams and with support from the CNC), while Korean actress Jeon Do-yeon won the Best Actress award for her performance in Lee Chang-dong's Secret Sunshine.

Two US directors also picked up prizes for films produced in France. The new 60th Anniversary Prize went to Gus Van Sant for Paranoid Park [+see also:
trailer
film profile] (see news) and Julian Schnabel was chosen Best Director for The Diving Bell and the Butterfly [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] (see news).

The rest of the world was not forgotten with Russia's Konstantin Lavronenko winning Best Actor for Andreï Zviaguintsev's The Banishment and Mexico's Carlos Reygadas picking up the ex-aequo Jury Prize for Silent Light [+see also:
trailer
film profile] (see news).

Apart from the Palme d’Or, Europe also received the Best Screenplay prize for Fatih Akin's German film The Edge of Heaven [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Fatih Akin
interview: Klaus Maeck
film profile] (see news [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Fatih Akin
interview: Klaus Maeck
film profile] and interview), as well as the ex-aequo Jury Prize for animated feature Persépolis [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Marc-Antoine Robert
interview: Marjane Satrapi, Vincent Pa…
film profile] (France) by Marjane Satrapi and Vincent Paronnaud (see news).

A majority-French production, Jellyfish [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] by Israeli duo Etgar Keret and Shira Geffen (see news) won the Camera d'Or, while special mention was given to British-Australian title Control [+see also:
trailer
film profile] by Dutch filmmaker Anton Corbijn.

Palme d´Or
4 Months, 3 Weeks And 2 Days [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Cristian Mungiu
interview: Oleg Mutu
film profile] - Cristian Mungiu (RO)

Grand Jury Prize
The Mourning Forest - Naomi Kawase (JP)

60th Anniversary Prize
Gus van Sant - Paranoid Park [+see also:
trailer
film profile] (FR)

Best Actress
Jeon Do-yeon, Secret Sunshine - Lee Chang-dong (KR)

Best Actor
Konstantin Lavronenko, The Banishment - Andreï Zviaguintsev (RU)

Best Director
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] - Julian Schnabel (FR)

Best Screenplay
Fatih Akin - The Edge of Heaven [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Fatih Akin
interview: Klaus Maeck
film profile] (DE)

Jury Prize
Silent Light [+see also:
trailer
film profile] - Carlos Reygadas (FR)
Persepolis [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Marc-Antoine Robert
interview: Marjane Satrapi, Vincent Pa…
film profile] - Marjane Strapi and Vincent Paronnaud (FR)

Caméra d´Or
Jellyfish [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] (FR)
Special Mention:
Control [+see also:
trailer
film profile] (GB)

Palme d´Or for Best Short Film
Ver Lllover - Elisa Miller (MX)
Special Mention:
Ah Ma - Anthony Chen (Singapour)
Run - Mark Albiston (NZ)

(Translated from French)