Two revenge films close out the competition for the top prize, while The Happiest Day In The Life Of Olli Maki won Un Certain Regard.
ADVERTISEMENTThe final entries vying for the Palme d’Or had their moment on the red carpet in Cannes.Both have an appetite for revenge.
The Salesman
Iranian director Asghar Farhadi’s The Salesman is a spin on the Arthur Miller play, ‘Death of a Salesman’. It tells the story of a middle-class couple whose comfortable lives are shattered by an intruder in their home. After winning critical acclaim and an Oscar for ‘The Separation’, Farhadi’s latest offering has left critics lukewarm.
#Redcarpet Forushande (Le Client / The Salesman) by Asghar Farhadi #Cannes2016#Competitionpic.twitter.com/9hQkcZc5gh
— Festival de Cannes (@Festival_Cannes) May 21, 2016
Elle
Wrapping up the race for the top prize was the Queen of Cannes, French actress Isabelle Huppert. She plays the lead in Paul Verhoeven’s ‘Elle’, a darkly comic rape-revenge thriller which has wowed the critics.
Isabelle Huppert & Paul Verhoeven arrive for 'Elle' Screening
ValeryHache</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/AlbertoPizzoli">AlbertoPizzoliLoicVenance</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/ACPoujoulat">ACPoujoulatpic.twitter.com/MaDgB0gNqz— AFP Entertainment (@AFPceleb) May 21, 2016
Huppert stars as a video game executive who appears to take a perverse pleasure in stalking her attacker.
Isabelle Huppert might be our best living actor, and ELLE might be Paul Verhoeven's best film. A dangerous wow. https://t.co/tcsKiZMEg4
— Guy Lodge (@GuyLodge) May 21, 2016
In the history of the film festival no woman has taken home the Palme d’Or outright. Jane Campion, who won for The Piano in 1993 had to share her win with Chen Kaige. There is buzz that the 69th edition could see a female director take home the Palme d’Or. Maren Ade’s film Toni Erdmann has had critics raving, while some saw Andrea Arnold’s American Honey as in with a chance.
In Cannes Euronews cinema expert Frédéric Ponsard sums up.
All the films in competition have now made the trip down the red carpet. It's now up to the jury to name the Palme d'Or. The selection is balanced this year, there is no clear favourite it's anyone's guess who will take home the prize.
Un Certain Regard
Before the feted Palme d’Or came Un Certain Regard which rewards films and filmmakers for ‘original and different’ works and runs in parallel to the main competition.
The Happiest Day In The Life Of Olli Maki took the award for Best Film
Matt Ross won Best Director for Captain Fantastic
The Red Turtle by Michael Dudok de Wit took home the Special Jury Prize
Kôji Fukada’s Harmonium won the Jury Prize
Writing honours went to Delphine and Muriel Coulin for their screenplay writing for The Stopover