Cannes trophies, closing 60th edition with a charm

The awards ceremony concluded a fortnight of sunny star crowded Croisette. Power block busters came to make an impression along with glamourous stars, while the competition films from non commercial cinematographies made an impact with the critics.
The Roumanian 4 months... Palme D'Or Winner and Persepolis were among the ones much discussed after their official screening.
INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION JURY
Palme d’Or: "4 Months, 3 Weeks & 2 Days," Cristian Mungiu, (Romania)
Grand Prix : "The Mourning Forest," Naomi Kawase, (France-Japan)
60th Anniversary Prize : Gus Van Sant ("Paranoid Park," France-U.S.)
Screenplay: Fatih Akin ("The Edge of Heaven," Germany-Turkey)
Director: Julian Schnabel ("The Diving Bell and the Butterfly," France)
Actor: Konstantin Lavronenko ("The Banishment," Russia)
Actress: Jeon Do-yeon ("Secret Sunshine," South Korea)
Jury Prize (shared) "Persepolis" (Marjane Satrapi, Vincent Paronnaud, France-U.S.) "Silent Light" (Carlos Reygadas, Mexico-France-Netherlands)

SHORT FILM JURY
Palme d’Or: "Watching It Rain" (Elisa Miller, Mexico)
Special Mentions: "Run" (Mark Albiston, New Zealand) "Grandma" (Anthony Chen, Singapore)

UN CERTAIN REGARD JURY
Grand Prix : "California Dreamin’ (Endless) (Cristian Nemescu, Romania)
Special Jury Prize: "Actresses" (Valeria Bruni Tedeschi, France)
Coup de Coeur Award: "The Band’s Visit" (Eran Kolirin, Israel-U.S.-France)

CAMERA D’OR JURY
Camera d’Or: "Jellyfish" (Etgar Keret, Shira Geffen, Israel-France)
Special Mention: "Control" (Anton Corbijn, U.K.-Australia-Japan)

CINEFONDATION JURY
First Prize: "Now Everybody Seems to be Happy" (Gonzalo Tobal, Argentina)
Second Prize: "Way Out" (Chen Tao, China)
Third Prize: (shared) "A Reunion" (Hong Sung-hoon, South Korea) "Minus" (Pavle Vuckovic, Serbia)

CRITICS’ WEEK JURIES
Grand Prix: "XXY" (Lucia Puenzo, Argentina-Spain-France)
SACD Prize: "Jellyfish."
ACID/CCAS Support Award: "XXY."
OFAJ/TV5Monde (Very)Young Critic Award: "Jellyfish."
Canal Plus Award for Best Short Film: "Madame Tutli-Putli" (Chris Lavis, Maciek Szczerbowski, Canada)
Kodak Discovery Award for Best Short Film: "Um ramo" (Juliana Rojas, Marco Dutra, Brazil)

OTHER JURIES
Ecumenical Award: "The Edge of Heaven."
Fipresci Awards (intl. critics’ assn.) "4 Months, 3 Weeks & 2 Days" (Competition) "The Band’s Visit" (Un Certain Regard) "Her Name Is Sabine" (Directors’ Fortnight)

Alongside the Official Competition trophies, other prizes were awarded to the films presented during this Festival. Here is the list:

- At Directors' Fortnight, Control by Dutch filmmaker Anton Corbijn received the Prix Regards Jeunes (Young Eyes Prize), awarded to a first or second feature-length film, as well as the Label Europa Cinéma Prize, intended for the best European film of the Fortnight. Garage by Ireland's Lenny Abrahamson was the winner of the Prix Art et Essai, which gave honorable mention to the aforementioned Control and to Gegenüber (Counterparts) by Jan Bonny, of Germany. Note that the SACD Prize for Best Short Film in French was awarded to Même pas Mort by Claudine Natkin.

- The International Critics' Week Grand Prize, intended as a groundbreaking prize whereby the film press rewards rising new talents, was awarded to XXY by Lucia Puenzo of Argentina. The SACD French Society of Dramatic Authors and Composers, a collective managing authors' rights, bestowed its honors upon Meduzot by Israeli filmmakers Etgar Keret Shira Geffen. The Canal + Grand Prize for the Best Short Film went to Madame Tutli-Putli by Canadians Chris Lavis and Maciek Sczerbowski.

- The Jury of the FIPRESCI (International Federation of Film Critics) awarded the International Critics Prize to 4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days by Romanian Cristian Mungiu, presented in the Official Competition. Honorable mention was awarded to The Band's Visit by Eran Kolirin, from the Un Certain Regard section. Lastly, in the sidebar programs Critics' Week and Directors' Fortnight, the FIPRESCI singled out Elle s'appelle Sabine, the first film directed by French actress Sandrine Bonnaire, about her autistic sister.

- The Ecumenical Jury Prize was awarded to The Edge of Heaven by Fatih Akin, presented in Competition. The Jury mentioned: "This film skillfully tells the story of the intersecting destinies in Germany and Turkey of men and women from different backgrounds. It makes the viewer aware of the pain and complexity of the loss of cultural identity and relationships, as well as the valuable cultural exchanges, transitions, and cohabitations possible between these two worlds. Two other major themes are parent-child relationships, sacrifice, and reconciliation." Established in 1974, the Ecumenical Jury designates works of artistic quality, film testimonials to the depth of human feeling and its mystery, through human preoccupations, hopes, and despairs.

- The 26th Youth Prize was awarded to The Band's Visit by Eran Kolirin, presented in Un Certain Regard. This reward, created in 1982 by the French Ministry of Youth, Sports, and Community Organizations, enables a jury of young film-lovers to give their verdict about the films presented in Competition and in the Un Certain Regard section.

- The French National Education Administration Prize, which singles out films for their usefulness as learning resources, was awarded to 4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days by Romanian filmmaker Cristian Mungiu. The jurors are teachers and other members of the community of educators, as well as people from the film world. Actress Bernadette Laffont was the president of this year's jury. The winning film will be issued as a teaching DVD which will facilitate approach to it and elicit analysis and debate in the classroom.

- The Prix France-Culture is awarded yearly by French national public radio during the Cannes Festival to a filmmaker for career achievement. The 2007 prize went to Cambodian Rithy Panh "for the intensity of his work and his commitment to the presentation of Cambodia's cinematographic memory." Charlotte Rampling was president of the jury.

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