The Cannes Film Festival has revealed its winners after a shadowy selection process that one jurist, actor Jeremy Strong, compared to picking the next pope.
“It’s like [a] conclave with champagne,” the Succession star said at a Saturday press conference. ”It’s really great.”
Strong’s remark followed the announcement that the festival’s top prize, the Palme d‘Or, would go to Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi for the revenge thriller It Was Just an Accident.
Panahi, one of Iran’s most renowned directors, is a dissident who has faced retribution from his country’s government for criticizing the Islamic Republic in his films. He has faced imprisonment, a ban on making movies, and other punishments. His win was met with cheers.
Jury President Juliette Binoche explained that it was an important decision for the festival to honor Panahi’s film.
“It’s very human and political at the same time because he comes from a complicated country, politically speaking,” Binoche said. “When we watched the film, it really stood out. The film springs from a feeling of resistance, survival, which is absolutely necessary today.”
The festival’s second-biggest prize, the Grand Prix, went to Norwegian filmmaker Joachim Trier for the family dramedy Sentimental Value.
“I don’t think art is just something you do for purpose or understanding,” Trier said as he accepted the award. “We don’t know why we do it. It’s something I watch my small children do. They sing and dance before they can speak. But it’s another language, it could be a language of unification.”
Nadia Melliti, a 23-year-old starring in her first-ever film, won best actress honors for her portrayal of a French teenager discovering her sexuality in The Little Sister.
The award for best actor went to Brazilian Wagner Moura, who played a father on the run from political violence in The Secret Agent. The film also landed Kleber Mendonça Filho a win for best director.
Strong, following up on his papal quip, took a more serious tone in characterizing the artistic achievement of the festival’s winners.
“I think it’s important for us, we wanted to recognize films that were transcendent as intrinsically as they were pieces of work,” he said.
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