Cannes really loves Michael Haneke. In 2009 they awarded his movie White Ribbon the Palm d’Or and now they’ve given his follow-up, Amour, exactly the same prize, one of the most prestigious gongs on the festival calendar.
Amour is the story of an octogenarian couple and how they deal with the end of love and life as the wife deteriorates physically and mentally. The film has been a critics’ favourite ever since it screened on the festival’s first Sunday and was tipped for the Palm d’Or ever since. While the festival often throws up surprises (it’s very dependent on who’s on the small jury), this year they gave the favourite the main prize.
Amour wasn’t the only winner though, with a surprised Mads Mikkelsen getting Best Actor for his role in Thomas Vinterberg’s The Hunt, while Best Actress went to Cosmina Stratan and Cristina Flutur for Cristian Mungiu’s Beyond the Hills. Ken Loach meanwhile picked up the Jury Prize for his film The Angels’ Share, with the director saying as he picked up his gong, “Cannes shows us that cinema is not just a diversion, it shows us who we are and how we live together.”
Here’s the full list of winners.
Palme d’Or
Michael Haneke, Amour
Grand Prix
Matteo Garrone. Reality
Best Actor
Mads Mikkelsen, The Hunt
Best Actress (tie)
Cosmina Straten and Cristina Flutur, Beyond The Hills
Best Director
Carlos Reygadas, Post Tenebras Lux
Cannes Prix De Scenario
Cristian Mungiu, Beyond The Hills
Jury Prize
Ken Loach, The Angels’ Share
Caméra d’Or
Benh Zeitlin, Beasts Of The Southern Wild
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