Any and all concerns that handing the Cannes 2013 jury duties to Hollywood’s most successful commercial filmmaker would detract from the event’s European sensibilities were laid to rest overnight with the announcement of the major award winners.
Steven Spielberg and his international body of A-list judges bestowed the 66th Palme d’Or upon the three hour, French-language lesbian love story Blue is the Warmest Colour. Director Abdellatif Kechiche and his fearless leading ladies, Adele Exarchopoulos and Lea Seydoux (pictured, above), accepted the award, which honoured a work rich in emotional complexity and graphic in its portrayal of homosexual passion. The film doubled-up on top honours with the Fipresci International Critics body also naming it best of the fest.
Spielberg, along with a panel that included Nicole Kidman and Ang Lee (pictured, right), was effusive in their praise for the Tunisian-born director’s drama, stating at the post-announcement press conference that the film was, “A great love story that made all of us feel privileged to be a fly on the wall, to see this story of deep love and deep heartbreak evolve from the beginning. The director didn’t put any constraints on the narrative. He let the scenes play in real life, and we were absolutely spellbound.”
So global was the overall winners list, films from Asia, Europe and North America were represented. Mexico snared Best Director kudos for Amat Escalante’s gangland family drama, Heli; the Jury Prize went to Japanese director Hirokazu Kore-eda’s Like Father Like Son; Screenplay honours fell to China’s Jia Zhangke for A Touch of Sin. The Camera d’Or honours for best first feature film went to Singapore-based filmmaker Anthony Chen for his debut, Ilo Ilo.
Longtime Cannes favourites Joel and Ethan Coen secured the Grand Prix for their monochromatic drama Inside Llewellyn Davis, while veteran character actor Bruce Dern earned a very popular Best Actor nod for Alexander Paynes’ Nebraska. Berenice Bejo, last lauded on The Croisette for her work in the Oscar-winner The Artist, took home the Best Actress trophy for her role in Asghar Farhadi’s French-Italian co-production, The Past.
The full list of Cannes Film Festival 2013 honorees is:
JURY PRIZE WINNERS:
Palme d’Or: “Blue Is the Warmest Color” (Abdellatif Kechiche, director; Adele Exarchopoulos France)
Grand Prix: “Inside Llewyn Davis” (Joel and Ethan Coen, U.S.)
Director: Amat Escalante, “Heli” (Mexico)
Jury prize: “Like Father, Like Son” (Hirokazu Kore-eda, Japan)
Actor: Bruce Dern, “Nebraska” (Alexander Payne, U.S.)
Actress: Berenice Bejo, “The Past” (Asghar Farhadi, France-Italy)
Screenplay: Jia Zhangke, “A Touch of Sin” (China)
UN CERTAIN REGARD JURY PRIZES:
Main prize: “The Missing Picture” (Rithy Panh, Cambodia-France)
Jury prize: Hany Abu-Assad, “Omar” (Palestine)
Director: Alain Guiraudie, “Stranger by the Lake” (France)
Future prize: “Fruitvale Station” (Ryan Coogler, U.S.)
A Certain Talent prize: Ensemble cast of “La jaula de oro” (Diego Quemada-Diaz, Mexico-Spain)
JURY PRIZES:
Camera d’Or: “Ilo ilo” (Anthony Chen, Singapore)
Directors’ Fortnight Art Cinema Award: “Me Myself and Mum” (Guillaume Gallienne, France)
Directors’ Fortnight Europa Cinemas Label: “The Selfish Giant” (Clio Barnard, U.K.)
Directors’ Fortnight SACD Prize: “Me Myself and Mum”
Critics’ Week Grand Prix: “Salvo” (Fabio Grassadonia, Antonio Piazza, Italy)
Critics’ Week Visionary Prize: “Salvo”
Critics’ Week Special Mention: “The Owners” (Agustin Toscano, Ezequiel Radusky, Argentina)
Critics’ Week SACD Prize for Screenplay: “Le Demantelement” (Sebastien Pilote, Canada)
Short Films Palme d’Or: “Safe” (Moon Byoung-gon, South Korea)
Ecumenical Jury Prize: “The Past” (Asghar Farhadi, France-Italy)
FIPRESCI PRIZES:
Competition: “Blue Is the Warmest Color” (Abdellatif Kechiche, France)
Un Certain Regard: “Manuscripts Don’t Burn” (Mohammad Rasoulof, Iran)
Directors’ Fortnight: “Blue Ruin” (Jeremy Saulnier, U.S.)