With his film “Anora”, the American director Sean Baker won the Golden Palm at the Cannes Film Festival. The film beat out 21 other films in competition. The decision was made by a jury chaired by director Greta Gerwig.
The jury awarded “Anora” an “incredibly human film,” said Gerwig. It was a film “that captured our hearts, that made us laugh, that gave us endless hope, that broke our hearts and never lost sight of the truth.”
“Anora” tells the story of a striptease dancer named Ani who meets the son of an oligarch. In youthful carelessness, the boy marries Ani after only a few days – much to the displeasure of his parents, who do everything in their power to reverse the plan.
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Emma Stone gives an interview and Kevin Costner cries in the cinema – perhaps because his film is so bad. But everything pales in comparison to the thriller “The Substance”, with which Demi Moore shocks the festival.
The fast-paced film is a mixture of comedy and drama and impresses with great actors, unexpected twists and lots of humor.
“That’s literally been my only goal as a filmmaker for the last 30 years,” Baker said. “So I’m not sure what I’m going to do with the rest of my life,” the 53-year-old joked on stage.
The Grand Jury Prize, the festival’s second most important award, went to “All We Imagine as Light” by Indian director Payal Kapadia. Frenchman Jacques Audiard received the Jury Prize for his musical “Emilia Pérez”. Director Mohammed Rassulof, who recently fled Iran, received a Special Jury Prize for “The Seed of the Sacred Fig”.
This year, the award for best actress was shared by four women: it went to actresses Karla Sofía Gascón, Zoe Saldana, Selena Gomez and Adriana Paz for their roles in “Emilia Pérez”. Jesse Plemons was named best actor for his role in “Kinds of Kindness” by Giorgos Lanthimos. Miguel Gomes won the award for best director for “Grand Tour”. Coralie Fargeat was awarded the award for best screenplay for “The Substance”.