The jury of Cannes film festival, chaired by Spike Lee, decided to award Saturday July 17, 2021 the prestigious Palme d’Or 2021 to Julia Ducournau for her film Titanium
. This is the epilogue of an edition that has kept its promise: to celebrate, despite the pandemic, the return to theaters and the reunion of world cinema.
She succeeds « Parasite » of South Korean Bong Joon-ho, crowned in 2019 / This year, no favorite stood out clearly, at the end of a good performance competition which counted no less than 24 films in official competition.
Spike Lee almost mistakenly announced the Palme d’Or winner’s name in advance, creating a cold sweat for the rest of the Jury and the organizers. The American director appeared lost several times during the ceremony, creating many laughs in the audience.
Palme d’or: Julia Ducournau for “Titane”
French director Julia Ducournau caused a sensation during this 74th edition with Titanium
, his second film, which our columnist Gilles Kerdreux called “Impressionist”, which receives the Palme d’Or. Very moved, Julia Ducournau recalled that perfection is not a pipe dream, but it is a dead end
during his speech. She also thanked the jury for choosing a more fluid and inclusive world
.
Discover our interview with Julia Ducournau carried out during the festival.
Jury Prize: “Le genou d’Ahed” and “Memoria”
Ahed’s Knee
is a film directed by Nadav Lapid, where an Israeli filmmaker meets an official of the Ministry of Culture, and throws himself into two fights: one against the death of freedom in his country, the other against the death of his mother .
The contemplative film Memory
was produced by the Thai Apichatpong Weerasethakul, already Palme d’Or 2010 with Uncle Boonmee
.
Grand Prize: Asghar Farhadi and Juho Kuosmanen
The Iranian director offered his fourth film at the Cannes Film Festival this year. With Hero
, we follow the adventures of a man imprisoned for debt, who sees his life transformed into a dream and then into a nightmare against a backdrop of jealousy, family rivalries and social networks.
Another co-winner of this prize, the Finnish Juho Kuosmanen is rewarded for his film Compartment n ° 6
. In this work, a young Finn takes a train in Moscow to go to an archaeological site in the Arctic Sea. She is forced to share her compartment with a stranger. This cohabitation and improbable encounters will gradually bring these two beings who are in opposition together.
Best Actress Award: Renate Reinsve
The Norwegian actress is one of the revelations of this festival in the film Julie in 12 chapters
. The heroine, almost 30 years old, does not manage to settle in the life between Aksel, 45 years old and successful author, and the young and attractive Eivind. A sort of Scandinavian Bridget Jones.
Best Actor Award: Caleb Landry Jones
The actor was highlighted this year thanks to the film Nitram
, by Australian director Justin Kurzel, where he plays a marginal, cut off from the world, who is about to commit one of the worst killings in Australian history. The film traces the Port-Arthur massacre in Tasmania in 2016, which led the Australian government to legislate to restrict access to weapons.
Texas-born Caleb Landry Jones made his film debut at age 13 with a small role in a Coen Brothers film No this country is not for the old man
(2007), which won four Oscars.
Best Director Award: Leos Carx for “Annette”
This film marks the return of French director Leos Carax, nine years later Holy Motors
(2012), and thirty years later The Lovers on the Bridge
(1991). The scenario of Annette
is this: Two American celebrities, a caustic stand-up star and a great singer, love each other passionately and are soon to have a daughter, Annette.
Discover our presentation of this film which had thrown the opening of the festival.
Best Screenplay Award: Ryusuke Hamaguchi and Takamasa Oe
The two Japanese are rewarded for the film Drive my car
, a three-hour adaptation of an extract from the collection Men without women
by Haruki Murakami. In this film, actor and theater director Yusuke Kafuku struggles to recover from personal drama. But the preparation of a version of Uncle Vanya
in a festival will change his life.
Palme d’or d’honneur: Marco Bellocchio
The Italian director, engaged in the 1960s on the far left, is rewarded for his career. He notably realized Fists in my pockets
in 1965, highlighting the youth revolt, foreshadowing the movements that would break out in May 1968.
In 2019, he proposed The traitor
, a long fresco around a real repentant of the Cosa Nostra mafia. One of his films, Leap into the void
( Jump into the void
, 1980) allowed French actors Michel Piccoli and Anouk Aimée to win the best actor and best actress awards at the 33rd Cannes Film Festival.
Golden camera: “Murina” by Antoneta Alamat Kusijanovic
Synopsis : old family friend arrives on Croatian island and explodes family tensions
. The director, whose first feature film is, could not be present at the award ceremony because she had given birth to her baby the day before in the Croatian city of Dubrovnik.
Palme d’Or for the short film: “All the ravens in the world”, by Tang Yi
This short film shot in Hong Kong lasts 14 minutes. The festival’s special mention for short film was awarded to the film The sky for the month of August
by Jasmin Tenucci.
– .
