Cannes 08: “The Class” Graduates With Honors

The 61st Annual Cannes Film Festival wrapped this past Sunday, having been the scene of...

The 61st Annual Cannes Film Festival wrapped this past Sunday, having been the scene of big Hollywood premieres like “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” and smaller but no less anticipated ones from filmmakers like the Dardenne brothers, Arnaud Desplechin and Atom Egoyan. In the end, it was a French film that won the Palme d’Or — the first homegrown feature to take the top prize since 1987′s “Under Satan’s Sun.” The film, a late entry in the competition, was directed by Laurent Cantet, whose past work includes “Time Out” and “Heading South,” and follows a year in the life of a teacher in an inner city Parisian school. Opening remarks from jury Sean Penn, who told the press that “We are going to feel very confident that the filmmaker of [the winning film] was very aware of the times within which he (or she) lives,” had many guessing that one of the fest’s many somber-themed flicks would end up getting lauded, but Cantet’s critically acclaimed work was also applauded for being enjoyable and entertaining. Here’s a complete list of the prizewinners.

IN COMPETTION – FEATURE FILMS

    Palme d’Or:
    ”Entre les murs” (The Class), directed by Laurent Cantet

    Grand Prix:
    ”Gomorra,” directed by Matteo Garrone

    Prize of the 61st Festival de Cannes ex-aequo:
    Catherine Deneuve for “Un conte de Noël,” directed by Arnaud Desplechin
    Clint Eastwood for “Changeling”

    Award for the Best Director:
    ”Üç maymun” (Three Monkeys), directed by Nuri Bilge Ceylan

    Jury Prize:
    ”Il Divo,” directed by Paolo Sorrentino

    Best Performance from an Actor:
    Benicio Del Toro in “Che,” directed by Steven Soderbergh

    Best Performance from an Actress:
    Sandra Corveloni in “Linha de Passe,” directed by Walter Salles and Daniela Thomas

    Award for the Best Screenplay:
    ”Le Silence de Lorna” (Lorna’s Silence), directed by Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne

IN COMPETITION – SHORT FILMS

    Palme d’Or:
    ”Megatron,” directed by Marian Crisan

    Jury Prize:
    ”Jerrycan,” directed by Julius Avery

CAMÉRA D’OR

    Caméra d’Or (for best first film):
    ”Hunger,” directed by Steve McQueen (Un Certain Regard)

    Caméra d’Or Special Mention:
    ”Vse Umrut a Ja Ostanus” (They Will All Die Except Me), directed by Valeria Gaï Guermanika (Critics Week)

UN CERTAIN REGARD

    Un Certain Regard Prize:
    ”Tulpan,” directed by Sergey Dvortsevoy

    Jury Prize:
    ”Tokyo Sonata,” directed by Kiyoshi Kurosawa

    Heart Throb Jury Prize:
    ”Wolke 9,” directed by Andreas Drese

    The Knockout of Un Certain Regard:
    ”Tyson,” directed by James Toback

    Prize of Hope:
    ”Johnny Mad Dog,” directed by Jean-Stéphane Sauvaire

CINEFONDATION

    First Cinéfondation Prize:
    ”Himnon” (Hymn), directed by Elad Keidan (The Sam Spiegel Film and TV School, Israël)

    Second Cinéfondation Prize:
    ”Forbach,” directed by Claire Burger (La fémis, France)

    Third Cinéfondation Prize:
    ”Stop,” directed by Park Jae-ok (The Korean Academy of Film Arts, Corée du Sud)
    ”Kestomerkitsijät” (Roadmarkers), directed by Juho Kuosmanen (University of Art and Design Helsinki, Finlande)

[Photo: "The Class," Haut et Court, 2008]