And so, another Cannes film festival has come to a close! Despite my initial predictions and some generally respectful reviews, Ken Loach did not win a third Palme d’Or for The Old Oak so I’m happy about that. Here’s what did win:
COMPETITION
Palme d’Or: “Anatomy of a Fall,” Justine Triet
Grand Prix: “The Zone of Interest,” Jonathan Glazer
Director: Tran Anh Hung, “The Pot au Feu”
Actor: Kōji Yakusho, “Perfect Days”
Actress: Merve Dizdar, “About Dry Grasses”
Jury Prize: “Fallen Leaves,” Aki Kaurismaki
Screenplay: Sakamoto Yûji, “Monster”
OTHER PRIZES
Camera d’Or: “Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell,” Thien An Pham
Short Films Palme d’Or: “27,” Flóra Anna Buda.
Short Films Special Mention: “Fár,” Gunnur Martinsdóttir Schlüter
Queer Palm: “Monster”
UN CERTAIN REGARD
Un Certain Regard Award: “How to Have Sex,” Molly Manning Walker
Jury Prize: Asmae El Moudir, “Hounds”
Best Director Prize: “The Mother of All Lies,” Asmae El Moudir
Freedom Prize: “Goodbye Julia,” Mohamed Kordofani
Ensemble Prize: “The Buriti Flower,” cast and crew
New Voice Prize: “Omen,” Baloji
DIRECTORS’ FORTNIGHT
Europa Cinemas Label: “Creatura,” Elena Martín
Society of Dramatic Authors and Composers Prize: “A Prince,” Pierre Creton
CRITICS’ WEEK
Grand Prize: “Tiger Stripes,” Amanda Nell Eu
French Touch Prize: “It’s raining in the house,” Paloma Sermon-Daï
GAN Foundation Award for Distribution: Pyramide Films, “Inshallah a boy”
Louis Roederer Foundation Rising Star Award: Jovan Ginić, “Lost Country”
As far as the Oscars are concerned, I think the big winner at Cannes was Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon. Yes, it was screened out of competition but the response to the film was so enthusiastic that it pretty much confirmed that, for now, it’s the Oscar front runner. If nothing else, the response temporarily silenced those who have been insisting that Killers of the Flower Moon would be a disappointment. (Bizarrely, there’s a whole generation of film commentators who seem to be obsessed with claiming that Scorsese is somehow overrated. I’d hate to think this is all about something as petty as Scorsese’s criticism of the Marvel films but then again, we live in petty times.) I would also keep an eye on Jonathan Glazer’s The Zone of Interest, which many expected would win the Palme but which had to settle for the jury prize. From what I’ve read, Glazer’s film sounds like it could be an Oscar contender.