Golden Palm in Cannes for court drama ‘Anatomy of a Fall’

Reuters Director Justine Triet with the Golden Palm

NOS Nieuws•vandaag, 22:01

The most important prize at the Cannes Film Festival, the Palme d’Or, was won by Anatomy of a Fall, by French director Justine Triet (44). It is the third time in the festival’s history that a woman has won the prize.

Anatomy of a Fall, actually Anatomie d’une chute, is about a writer who tries to prove that she is not to blame for the death of her husband. The writer is played by the German Sandra Hüller.

Triet received the Golden Palm from the now 85-year-old Jane Fonda. The jury that determined who received the prizes was chaired by the Swedish director Ruben Östlund, who last year received the second Golden Palm in his career for Triangle of Sadness. 21 films competed for the prestigious prize at the 76th edition of the festival.

Zone of Interest

Besides Anatomy of a Fall, Zone of Interest was one of the favorites for the Palme d’Or. That film by director Jonathan Glazer won the Grand Prix, the second most important prize in Cannes.

Zone of Interest tells the story of the everyday life of an Auschwitz commander who lives with his family next to the extermination camp. The horrors of the Holocaust – practically in their backyard – only appear indirectly.

Reuters Director Jonathan Glazer with the Grand Prix, presented by directors Quentin Tarantino and Roger Corman

In the individual awards, the French-Vietnamese filmmaker Tran Anh Hùng was named best director for his romantic La Passion de Dodin Bouffant. Turkish actress Merve Dizdar was awarded for her role in Kuru Otlar Üstüne, a drama film that lasts more than three hours. The protagonist of Perfect Days, Kōji Yakusho from Japan, also received an award.

Depp-controverse

True to tradition, there were also controversies in Cannes this year, for example around the visit of the American actor Johnny Depp. He appeared on the red carpet on opening day for his starring role in the film that kicked off the festival: Jeanne du Barry, about King Louis XV and his mistress.

Depp won a lawsuit against his ex Amber Heard last year, who accused him of domestic violence. Heard supporters took to social media with the hashtag #CannesYouNot. The praise of the audience was no less: the film by Depp and director Maïwenn was applauded for seven minutes.

The film festival in the French seaside resort, which lasted more than a week and a half, ended with Pixar’s latest film, Elemental.

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