The awards were handed out at the 78th Cannes Film Festival this year. The grand prize, the Palme d’Or, went to Jafar Panahi’s Un Simple Accident.
FESTIVAL NOTES
The 78th Cannes Film Festival, which was held between May 14-25 this year, witnessed an atmosphere marked by political messages from its opening night. Juliette Binoche, who took part in the festival as the president of the jury, commemorated Fatima Hassona, a 25-year-old Palestinian photojournalist who was killed in an Israeli airstrike last month, in her opening night speech.
Sepideh Farsi’s documentary about Hassona’s life, Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk, had been selected for Acid, one of Cannes’ parallel sections, just a day before the attack. In her speech, Binoche recalled that Hassona had lost her life along with ten members of her family, saying, “The day before her death, she learned that the film she had starred in had been selected here in Cannes. Fatma should have been with us tonight. Art resists time. Art is a powerful witness of our lives, of our dreams.”
Nearly 400 directors and actors have signed an open letter on the death of Fatima Hassouna, initiated by various pro-Palestinian activist groups and published in publications such as the French Libération and the American Variety. Expressing their shame at the industry’s silence on Israel’s blockade of Gaza, the signatories said, “We cannot remain silent while a genocide is taking place in Gaza.” The open letter emphasized that cinema should be a tool in the fight against injustice.
Throughout the festival, many artists and participants expressed their support for Palestine in various ways. WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange attended the special screening of the documentary about him, The Six Billion Dollar Man, in Cannes wearing a T-shirt with the names of 4,986 children under the age of five who lost their lives in the Israeli attacks on Gaza. On the back of the T-shirt was the phrase “Stop Israel”.
On the other hand, the Cannes Film Festival announced that it has officially banned nudity and “excessive volume” on the red carpet this year. Although the festival management stated that this decision was taken in line with French law and the institutional framework, such interventions in the dress code have long been criticized for discrimination and moralism. Practices such as the requirement of high heels continue to be seen as part of an oppressive attitude towards women in particular.
Best Film Un Simple Accident
The 78th Cannes Film Festival ended with an awards ceremony. Juliette Binoche was accompanied by Halle Berry, Alba Rohrwacher, Leïla Slimani, Jeremy Strong, Payal Kapadia, Carlos Reygadas, Dieudo Hamadi and Hong Sang-soo.
The jury awarded the Palme d’Or to Jafar Panahi’s Un Simple Accident. The Grand Jury Prize went to Joachim Trier’s Affeksjonsverdi (Sentimental Value), while the Jury Prize went to Oliver Laxe’s Sırât and Mascha Schilinski’s Sound of Falling. This year’s Best Director award went to Kleber Mendonça Filho for O Agente Secreto (The Secret Agent).
Molly Manning Walker chaired the jury in Un Certain Regard, the second most important section of the festival after the main competition. The Un Certain Regard Award went to La misteriosa mirada del flamenco (The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo) by Diego Céspedes, while the Jury Prize went to Un poeta (A Poet) by Simón Mesa Soto.
The 78th Cannes Film Festival’s full list of award-winning films can be found on the festival’s website. The highlights of the festival are as follows:
Main Competition
Palme d’Or Un Simple Accident (dir. Jafar Panahi)
Grand Jury Prize: Affeksjonsverdi / Sentimental Value (dir. Joachim Trier)
Jury Prize: Sirât (dir. Oliver Laxe) and Sound of Falling (dir. Mascha Schilinski)
Best Director: Kleber Mendonça Filho (O Agente Secreto / The Secret Agent)
Best Screenplay: Jean-Pierre & Luc Dardenne (Jeunes mères / Young Mothers)
Best Actress: Nadia Melliti (La petite dernière)
Best Actor: Wagner Moura (O Agente Secreto / The Secret Agent)
Special Award: Kuang Ye Shi Dai / Resurrection (Dir. Bi Gan)
A Specific Overview
Un Certain Regard Award: La misteriosa mirada del flamenco / The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo (dir. Diego Céspedes)
Jury Prize: Un poeta / A Poet (Dir. Simón Mesa Soto)
Best Director: Arab & Tarzan Nasser (Once Upon a Time in Gaza)
Best Actress: Cleo Diára (O Riso e a Faca / I Only Rest in the Storm)
Best Actor: Frank Dillane (Urchin)
Best Screenplay: Harry Lighton (Pillion)
Best First Film (Caméra d’Or): The President’s Cake (dir. Hasan Hadi)
Special Mention: My Father’s Shadow (Dir. Akinola Davies Jr.)
Palme d’Or (short film): I’m Glad You’re Dead Now (dir. Tevfik Barhom)
Special Mention (short film): Ali (Dir. Adnan Al Rajeev)