23/05/2010

There was enormous surprise this evening at the 63rd Cannes Film Festival where the Palme d’Or was awarded to Thai director Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s captivating Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives [+see also:
trailer
film profile]. This film was co-produced by the UK, France, Germany and Spain. At 39, the director confirms his original talent previously lauded at Cannes with the Un Certain Regard Prize in 2002 for Blissfully Yours and the Jury Prize in 2004 for Tropical Malady.

With triple success for France and honours for Italy and Spain, Europe is also well-represented in a prize list that was apparently the subject of intense discussions. The Grand Prize went to Of Gods and Men [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Xavier Beauvois
film profile] by French director Xavier Beauvois (see review and interview), while his compatriot Juliette Binoche scooped Best Actress for Abbas Kiarostami’s Certified Copy [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] (see review). Mathieu Amalric completes the French haul with Best Director for On Tour [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Mathieu Amalric
interview: Mathieu Amalric
film profile] (co-produced with Germany – see review).

Best Actor was shared by Spain’s Javier Bardem for Alejandro González Iñárritu’s Biutiful [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] (see review) and Italy’s Elio Germano for Daniele Luchetti’s Our Life [+see also:
film review
trailer
making of
film profile] (see review and interview with the director).

European production is also crowned with the Jury Prize for Chadian director Mahamat-Saleh Haroun’s French/Belgian co-production A Screaming Man [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] (see review).

At this good Cannes edition, although not as good as 2009’s exceptional vintage, the prize list also celebrated Asia with Best Screenplay going to Korean director Lee Chang-dong for Poetry. Meanwhile, the Camera d’Or for Best Debut Feature was handed to Mexican director Michael Rowe’s Leap Year, presented in the Directors’ Fortnight.

Finally, the future of European cinema looks promising with the Palme d’Or for Best Short going to France’s Serge Avédikian for Barking Island and a Jury Prize for Frida Kempf’s Swedish short Micky Bader.

(Translated from French)