Oscar winners Hillary Swank and Morgan Freeman graced the French Rivera’s newly upholstered Palais du Cinema to present the winner of this year’s Palme d’Or. After sharing a joke about the Palme d’Or as an award that neither of them has won they turned to the Jury, led by Emir Kusturica, to learn the name of the film that would prevail over David Cronenberg’s impressive "A History Of Violence," Wim Wenders’ compelling "Don’t Come Knocking" and Lars Von Trier’s yeasty "Manderlay" the second in his trilogy of films about America.
Palme d’Or: "L’enfant" ("The Child")
(Belgium-France)
Luc and Jean-Pierre Dardenne’s deeply flawed and simplistic movie about a young petty thief who sells his girlfriend’s baby is the unworthy winner of this year’s Palme d’Or.
Grand Prix: "Broken Flowers"
Bill Murray revisits his minimalist performance from "Lost In Translation" in Jim Jarmusch’s crowd pleasing film about an aging bachelor’s journey through a litany of ex-girlfriends in search of a son he may have sired 20 years ago.
Jury Prize: "Shanghai Dreams"
("Qinghong" — China)
Writer-director Wang Xiaoshuai’s semi-autobiographical drama about a family preparing to return to Shanghai after leaving there more than 20 years earlier is an elegant meditation on conflicting ideologies as seen through a personal context.
Prix Un Certain Regard: "The Death Of Mr. Lazarescu" ("Moartea Domnului Lazarescu" — Romania)
A slowly dying man endures being moved through a series of different hospitals in this darkly comic satire.
Prix d’Interpretation Femine:
Hanna Laslo won the Best Actress Award for her performance opposite Natalie Portman in "Free Zone," about the physical and philosophical divide between Israel and Jordan,.
Prix d’Interpretation Masculine:
Tommy Lee Jones won the Best Actor Award for his iconic performance in his directorial debut "The Three Burials Of Melquiades Estrada."
Prix De La Mise En Scene:
Michael Haneke took the prize for Best Director for "Cache" ("Hidden") about a couple intimidated by anonymously sent surveillance tapes.
Prix Du Scenario:
Screenwriter Guillermo Arriaga won the Best Script Award for his Sam Peckinpah inspired "The Three Burials Of Melquiades Estrada."
