Sunday
25May2008
French Drama 'The Class' Wins Palme D'Or at Cannes
Sunday, May 25, 2008 at 2:17PM 
The Class became the first French film in 20
years to win the top prize at the Cannes Film Festival, the prestigious Palme
D'Or. The film is based on the autobiography of Francois Begaudeau,
and is set in a tough Parisian high school.
More well-known names like Clint
Eastwood's
The Exchange (formerly Changeling) and a
favorite to take home some honor,
Waltz with Bashir, were not picked by the jury
for specific prizes, although a special prize was awarded to Eastwood's film.
Said Juror Natalie Portman, "I
think it's testament to the amazing selection that a film as good as Waltz
With Bashir didn't win an award." About the biggest name in the mix
as awards were being announced was
Benicio Del Toro, named Best Actor for his work
as Che Guevara in Stephen Soderbergh's
controversial biopic.
The jury this year was under the direction of Sean Penn,
and included Portman, actress Alexandra Maria Lara of Coppola's Youth Without Youth, French director
Rachid Bouchareb, Alfonso Cuaron, Marjane Satrapi (Persepolis), Thai filmmaker
Apichatpong Weerasethakul, actress Jeanne Balibar, and actor Sergio Castellitto,
currently playing the villain in Prince Caspian.
Here is a list of the winners in International competition
at the 61st Cannes Film Festival; you can find
a complete wrap-up at Variety.
Palme d'OrThe Class (Laurent Cantet, France) Grand Prix
Gomorrah (Matteo Garrone, Italy) Special Prizes
Catherine Deneuve (A Christmas Tale) and Clint Eastwood (The Exchange) Best Director
Nuri Bilge Ceylan (Three Monkeys, Turkey-France-Italy) Jury Prize
Il Divo (Paolo Sorrentino, Italy) Best Actor
Benicio Del Toro (Che, Spain-France) Best Actress
Sandra Corveloni (Linha de passe, Brazil-France) Best Screenplay
Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne (Lorna's Silence, Belgium-France-Italy-Germany)
Colin Boyd | Permalink | in Cannes, Film Festivals | Print Article | Email Article | Post a Comment | Share Article
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