A woman won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival

The rumors that ran in the afternoon were confirmed in the evening. And at Justine Triet's Grand Théâtre Lumière Anatomie d'une chute (Anatomy of a Fall), he took the Palme d'Or, the second time this has happened in the last three years.

Yes, as two years ago, in 2021, when the Festival recovered after the reduced version of 2020, a film directed by a filmmaker, and also French, won. Then it had been Titane, by Julia Ducournau, this year, member of the Jury, together with Damián Szifron. And if the Palm to Titane, a violent film, had caused surprise, this time, no.

The winning film focuses on the trial of a woman after her husband falls from a balcony and dies. The last ones there were her and her son, a boy with an optic nerve problem, after an accident. The protagonist is Sandra Hüeller, the same as another that would be awarded, The Zone of Interest.

Damián Szifron, upon arrival at the Sala Lumiêre. The president of the Jury screwed up just with the prize that the Argentine would announce. AFP Photo

Of the 21 films in competition, seven, or a third, had been made by women. And the director's speech pointed strongly in that direction.

Along the way, the Jury left without awards all the directors who had already won one or two Palme d'Or (Ken Loach, Nanni Moretti; and Wim Wenders, Nuri Bilge Ceylan and Hirokazu Kore-eda, since if the films of these last three did receive awards, they were for their interpreters and their screenwriter).

Jane Fonda, who gave a talk yesterday, Friday, this Saturday presented the Palme d'Or. He spoke in French and English. Photo EFE

Chiara Mastroianni was once again the master of ceremonies, as in the Opening, on Tuesday, May 16. The Jury, chaired by director Ruben Östlund (The Square and The Triangle of Sorrow), was composed of director Maryam Touzani, actor Denis Ménochet, writer/director Rungano Nyoni, actress and director Brie Larson, actor and director Paul Dano, screenwriter Atiq Rahimi, our compatriot Damián Szifron and director Julia Ducournau.

The awards, in order

The actress Stacy Martin and the director Ildikó Enyedi, who chaired the Short Film Juries and La Cinef, presented a Special Mention to Fár, by the Icelandic Gunnur Martinsdóttir Schlüter, and the Palme d'Or to 27, by the Hungarian Flóra Ana Buda. Both shorts were directed by women.

All the winners. It was twelve days of pure cinema. After the ceremony, everyone to the Party (which we count tomorrow). AFP Photo

Then the actress Anaïs Demoustier, who chaired the Jury of the Golden Camera for the best first feature of the Festival, the Filmmakers' Fortnight and the Critics' Week, presented the Caméra d'or award to L'arbre aux papillons d'or, by Vietnamese Thien An Pham, which was seen in the Filmmakers' Fortnight. It has among its producers an Argentine, Gabriel Kaplan.

As for the feature film awards, unlike other previous editions, this year they were not delivered by the members of the Jury, but were different figures, as had happened in 2022. It was announced by a member of the Jury, who stood up from the stand and announced it.

Japanese actor Koji Yakusho, with his award for Wim Wenders' "Perfect Days." AFP Photo

Then, actress Zar Amir Ebrahimi, last year's winner for best female performance for Holy Spider, and actor Song Kang-ho, winner in 2022 for best male performance, for Broker, presented the crossover awards, as happens at the Oscars.

And best male performance went to the Japanese Koji Yakusho, for Perfect Days, as we had anticipated. He is the absolute protagonist of the new film by Wim Wenders. The actor of Shall We Dance and who had a participation in Babel, by Alejandro González Iñárritu composes a man who is dedicated to cleaning the public toilets of the city of Tokyo.

Turkey's Merve Dizdar, best female performer for "Kuru Otlar Ustune" ("About Dry Grasses"). AFP Photo

Best actress went to young Turkish Merve Dizdar, 36, for Kuru Otlar Ustune (About Dry Grasses), by Nuri Bilge Ceylan. She plays a school teacher, who lost part of a leg, and is more than the romantic interest of two other teachers. The surprised face of the actress could not be believed, but she had a speech written on a piece of paper...

The actor John C. Reilly, who in this edition was the president of the Jury of the Un Certain Regard section, presented the Best Screenplay Award to the Japanese Sakamoto Yuji, for Monster, by Hirokazu Kore-eda.

Actor Orlando Bloom then presented the Jury Prize to Fallen Leaves, by Aki Kaurismäki. The Finnish director, who has yet to win the Palme d'Or, was not present, but his actors were, who read their thanks. "Thank you and Twist and shouts," they said, and applause rained down.

The error before the prize announced by Szifron

On stage. Szifron arrived a fortnight ago in Cannes. And he saw at least 21 films as a member of the Jury. AFP Photo

And it was time for the Best Director Award. But the President of the Jury, Ruben Östlund, started by saying "The Grand Prix will be presented by...". He had been wrong, as he was for the best Director. "It's going to be introduced by Damian Szifron," he said.

The director of Wild Tales stood up, and said "Ok, so le Prix goes to Tran Anh Hùng, for The Passion of Dodin Bouffant." The American Pete Docter, Creative Director of Pixar Studios, and director of Monsters, Inc., Up, Intensely and Soul, was the one who gave it to him.

This was a surprise, because few expected an award for the film of the Vietnamese, who had directed The Smell of Green Papaya, and in which Juliette Binoche is a cook and Benoit Magimel a chef, in the late nineteenth century.

Chiara Mastroianni was once again the master of ceremonies, as in the Opening. And he was also wrong... Photo Reuters

And it was Chiara Mastroianni's turn to make a mistake, announcing that Quentin Tarantino was going to deliver the Palme d'Or, when in fact it corresponded to the Grand Jury Prize, together with Roger Corman.

The filmmaker, "the myth", as Quentin defined him, arrived accompanied and with a cane. It was the first time that the entire Sala Lumière stood to a standing ovation. And the winner was Jonathan Glazer, for The Zone of Interest, about the family of a Nazi commander who literally lives next to the Auschwitz concentration camp.

Quentin Tarantino presented the Grand Jury Prize to Britain's Jonathan Glazer for "The Zone of Interest." AFP Photo

Quentin Tarantino had arrived at the Palais des Festivals with his wife, Daniella Pick.

Finally, the prestigious Palme d'Or was presented by Jane Fonda.

Director Tran Anh Hung, Best Director, with Pete Docter ("Up," "Eternal-Mind"). Szifron announced that award. AP Photo

After the Closing Ceremony, which marked the end of the 76th Cannes Film Festival, the animated film Elemental, by Peter Sohn, produced by Pixar, was screened. In Argentina it will be released next long weekend, on Thursday, June 15.

And from there, all the guests, the Jury and the winners went to the Closing Party, on the beach.

But that's what we'll talk about tomorrow.

Special Envoy

See also

Cannes Film Festival: the priceless object that Jane Fonda lost and what pearls she dedicated to Robert Redford and Alain Delon

Quentin Tarantino at Cannes: how was the presentation of Rolling Thunder and what is the limit of its violence in the cinema