Films, directors, actors, writers, and more were honored at the festival’s closing ceremony.
After 11 days, the 77th Cannes Film Festival has come to a close, awarding some of the best work from this year’s selection.
The festival’s jury, headed by American director, screenwriter, and actress Greta Gerwig, presented the winners at the closing ceremony.
Gerwig was joined by Ebru Ceylan, Lily Gladstone, Eva Green, Nadine Labaki, Juan Antonio Bayona, Pierfrancesco Favino, Kore-eda Hirokazu, and Omar Sy in making the decisions.
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The Grand Prize
This year, Sean Baker’s Anora won the Palme d’Or, the Cannes Film Festival’s top honor. This marks the first time an American filmmaker has won the award in over a decade. American actress Mikey Madison, who plays the title character, also delivered a critically praised performance.
The movie tells the story of a young sex worker from Brooklyn who meets and impulsively marries the son of a Russian oligarch. Her Cinderella story is threatened when his parents travel to New York to get the marriage annulled.
George Lucas, who won an honorary Palme d’Or earlier in the same ceremony, presented the award to Baker. “I really don’t know what’s happening now,” the director remarked, after thanking the jury. He also dedicated the award to “sex workers past, present and future—this is for you.”
A High Honor
All We Imagine as Light, from director Payal Kapadia, won the Grand Prix, the festival’s second-highest honor. Kapadia made history by being the first Indian filmmaker to win the award.
It’s also the first Indian film in 30 years—and the first ever by an Indian woman filmmaker—to be featured in the festival’s main competition.
The film follows three women as they navigate their relationships. On a road trip to a beach town, they find a space for their dreams and desire to manifest. Continuing the tale of sisterhood, Kapadia brought the three leading actresses onstage with her.
Breaking Barriers
Director Jacques Audiard’s genre-bending Emilia Peréz received the third-place Jury Prize. The movie stars Selena Gomez, Zoe Saldaña, Karla Sofía Gascón, and Adriana Paz.
The film follows lawyer Rita (Saldaña), who is hired by cartel leader Manitas (Gascón). He is searching for help in withdrawing from his business and completing a sex change operation to become the woman he has always dreamt of being.
The women of the ensemble cast also won a rare collective Best Actress award. Gascón, who became the first transgender actress to win at Cannes, accepted the award on behalf of the cast.
“Women together—that’s something we wanted to honor when we made this award,” Gerwig said, according to The Hollywood Reporter. “Each of them is a standout, but together transcendent.”
Impressive Feats
The Best Director award went to Miguel Gomes for his film Grand Tour. Set in 1917 Burma, the movie follows a civil servant for the British Empire, Edward, as he runs away from his fiancée, Molly. Still determined to get married, Molly follows his trail.
Jesse Plemons won his first award at the Cannes Film Festival for Best Actor. He starred in Yorgos Lanthimos’ film Kinds of Kindness alongside Emma Stone, Willem Dafoe, and Margaret Qualley.
Best Screenplay went to Coralie Fargeat, who also directed The Substance. The body horror film stars Demi Moore, Margaret Qualley, and Dennis Quaid. After its premiere, the film received a standing ovation which lasted for around nine to 13 minutes.
A special award was given to Mohammad Rasoulof for The Seed of the Sacred Fig. The dissident Iranian filmmaker actually fled the country before the festival began and was able to receive the award in person.
Banner image via Instagram @anorafilm.
