Gold goes to the French, screenings – to Luxembourg

Palme d’Or for the best feature film went to Dheepan by 63-year-old French Jacques Audiard. The film tells the story of a former rebel from Sri Lanka who finds himself in inauspicious suburbs of Paris. An author of quite average socio-psychological dramas with happy endings, Jacques Audiard is a long-time favorite of different juries. The Cannes areopagus headed by American directors Joel and Ethan Coen was not an exception. The decision appears to be even more surprising, if we take into account how many worthy rivals Audiard had this year.

So, the second important award, Grand Prix, went to Son of Saul by Laszlo Nemes. Taking into account the fact this film is a debut, this high award is a sensational success, which is a dream for any beginner. The time and place of action are October 1944, Auschwitz. The leading hero is Saul Auslaender, a member of the Sonderkommando of the camp, responsible for cremation. One day Saul has to take to the crematorium a corpse of a child. While other prisoners prepare a rebellion, the hero tries to save the corpse from cremation and bury it properly. According to critics, the result is a cinematographic story of biblical power.

Classic of Taiwan cinema Hou Hsiao-Hsien was recognized the best director by the jury for historical drama The Assassin. The leading hero is a cool-headed professional assassin of the time of Medieval China; she receives a task to kill a man she has feelings for. The picture, which is close to oriental observation and, according to reviews, has a perfect beauty of scenes, was shot among the landscapes of Inner Mongolia. The leading role was performed by the star of Taiwan cinema Shu Qi.

The award for the best actress was shared between French Emmanuelle Bercot and American Rooney Mara. Bercot played a girl who undergoes rehabilitation after a severe injury, received as a result of a ski accident, in the film My King (director: Maiwenn Le Besco, France). Mara was awarded for her work in the film Carol by American independent filmmaker Todd Haynes. The drama, based on Patricia Highsmith’s novel The Price of Salt tells how two women in New York in the early 1950s become in love with each other. Like Son of Saul, Carol was one of the favorites at the festival. The prize for the best actor went to French actor Vincent Lindon for the role of an unemployed man in The Measure of a Man by Stephane Brize.

Greek Director Yorgos Lanthimos received the prize of the jury for his film The Lobster, which is probably the most unusual in the main competition. It is evident even from a short overview of the plot: in society of the near future lonely people go to a special institution to find a life partner during 45 days. After the term ends, the violators are turned into animals. The leading hero is a runaway, who refused to subdue to the established order. The leading role in the surrealist anti-utopia was performed by famous Irish actor Colin Farrell.

The prize for best screenplay went to Mexican Michel Franco for his film Chronic about the employee of the medical institution for terminally ill people. Another Latin American, Columbian director Cesar Augusto Acevedo won Camera d’Or as the best debutant for Land and Shadow: an elderly peasant after a many-year absence returns to his native village to his dying son. During the awarding ceremony Acevedo mentioned that he dedicates this victory to all Columbian peasants.

Finally, honorary Palm d’Or for contribution to the world art of cinema (for the directors who in spite of undisputable international authority never won Palm d’Or for the best film) went to French filmmaker Agnes Varda. Varda became the first woman who won this prize.

Our films didn’t take part in the competition but a Ukrainian pavilion was operating at the Promenade de la Croisette. It presented both ready works and projects on the stage of production: Captivity (director Anatolii Mateshko), Blue Dress (Ihor Minaiev), Now I will love you (Roman Shyrman), Good Game Well Played (Olena Fetisova), Maksym Osa (Ivan Sautkin), Nest of a Turtle-Dove (Taras Tkachenko). In the section for young filmmakers Short Film Corner among others a launch of 15 short films, shot in Ukraine or in cooperation with Ukrainian professionals, took place. The greatest achievement took place beyond the national pavilion: Cannes film market saw the selling of the rights for screening Myroslav Slaboshpytsky’s Luxemburg, the work on which is underway, in Greece and countries of former Yugoslavia. The negotiations on selling of the rights to Japan and France are underway as well. Actually, French company Alpha Violet production is in charge of the project, because Luxemburg is supposed to be a joint production of France, Germany, and Ukraine. The shooting will start at the end of the year, and Chornobyl Zone will be its only location.

Ukraine was recalled in a less joyful context. Within the framework of prestigious festival program “Directors’ Fortnight” the action of solidarity with our director Oleh Sentsov, who’s facing a long prison term in Moscow based on an absurd accusation of terrorism. All of more than 50 film screenings in the program were preceded by a caption with a photo of the Ukrainian director and an inscription “Free Oleh Sentsov!” The action was organized by the French Film Directors’ Guild and European Film Academy. At the opening of the Fortnight the presidents of the Guild Celine Sciamma and Pierre Salvadori announced signing of a new petition:

“I belong to the international community of filmmakers, and in the light of this, I ask President Putin to free one of our own, the Ukrainian filmmaker Oleg Sentsov. Accused of ‘committing crimes of a terrorist nature,’ which he denies totally, he faces up to 20 years of prison. Together with all filmmakers who signed this text, I denounce solemnly this trial for imaginary crimes. This aggression against Oleg Sentsov is an aggression against all filmmakers, all over the world.”

The address was signed by 108 French directors, as well as tens of actors, producers, filmmakers from other countries, in particular Ukraine and Russia.