Brought to you live from the Palais in beautiful Cannes on the French Riviera.
Short Film winner: The Man Who Could Not Be Silent
Camera d’Or winner: Armand (by Norwegian director Halfdan Ullmann Tøndel)
Best Screenplay: The Substance.
Described as “bald and beautifully bonkers” – ‘The Substance’ – by Coralie Fargeat, won. Coralie said: “Thank you so much. I can’t tell you how proud I am to be here tonight in the most beautiful place for cinema.” She thanked all those who helped make her dream come true – particularly Demi Moore, who was sitting in the audience, saying “what an incredible gift it has been to work with you, I’m so proud of the work we’ve done together.” Coralie said: “The movie is about women and what they experience in the world, and how violent it can still be. I really believe a movie can change the world so I hope this will be a little stone that helps cause ripples. I thank all the women who speak out. We need a revolution and I don’t think it’s started yet. Let’s start it all together.”
Best Actress: The stars of Emilia Perez.
All the actresses of Emilia Perez, including Selena Gomez, were selected as a harmony is stronger when it resounds together, than an individual picked out – a harmony of ‘sisterhood’ in a year when many films honoured women. The main actress very tearfully and gratefully accepted the award, thanking her incredible director, Selema Gomez – “I’m in love with her”, and thanked Cannes for its incredible hospitality. In Spanish, she expressed how trans people are struggling every day.
Best Actor: Jessie Piemons, Kinds of Kindness (not present at the ceremony this evening, although he was here earlier in the week)
Special Prize: The Seed of the Sacred Fig by Mohammad RASOULOF.
Unsurprisingly, the director who recently had to flee his country, Iran, has received a standing ovation. He lives in exile in Europe. While excited to receive the prize he said he is extremely sad about what’s going on for his people, and the daily suffering he is going through, and he thanks all those who go to see the film.
Best Director: Miguel Gomes, Grand Tour
He says: “Sometimes I get lucky. Thank you Festival de Cannes for inviting me. Thank you for the jury for deciding to give me this prize.” As a director, he directs and calls for a “stage invasion” of his producer and stars, as the director “needs lots of help”. He paid tribute to the Portuguese directors who inspired him.
Jury Prize: Emilia Perez – directed byJacques Audiard
Grand Prix 2024: All We Imagine as Light – directed by Payal Kapadia
The great prize is awarded by American actress and producer Viola Davis. She says: “Art does not come from a safe place. Stories that matter aren’t born in tranquility… The voices that need to be heard scream… (This award) is for an award for change. The Cannes Film Festival provides Grand Prix to strongest of these voices…
”It was already a dream to be selected” said the director, and thanked her actresses who contributed to make the film their own.” She asks Cannes not to wait another 30 years to invite an Indian film. She says: “It really takes a village to make a film.” Often women are pitted against each other. The film is about the friendship of three women. She says friendship can lead to solidarity and empathy and support and these are the values we should all be striving She also thanked the workers behind the scene that make Cannes so successful and says she stands in solidarity with their movement.
Honary Palme d’Or: George Lucas (American director)
Lucas received a standing ovation. The Festival invited somebody as huge as him, a lifetime friend and Godfather, Francis Ford Coppola. Coppola says ‘exceptional’ to be there to celebrate the imagination of my “kid brother”. They met when George was 19 and came to watch Coppola direct his first film. George: “I thank him for everything he’s done for me.” First came to Cannes 52 years ago. “I’m just a kid who grew up in a vineyard in California, who made films with some friends like Francis in San Francisco…. I’ve actually never made a film as a director in LA.”
Palme d’Or: Anora – by Sean Baker
Greta Gerwig says: “A human and humane film that let us hope beyond hope…and then broke our hearts.”
Sean, overwhelmed, says: “I wanna thank the jury… you’ve made a dream come true” and says how all their accomplishments make it such an honour. “I’m still in disbelief that you invited our little baby to the ball.” He also thanked David Cronenberg and Francis Ford Coppola who influenced him so much. “This singularly has been my goal for the last 30 years, so I don’t know what I’ll do for the rest of my life…”, he jokes, and then speaks about the importance of keeping cinema alive and making movies for theatrical release. Watching at home, scrolling through emails, is not the way. Watching with others is a great communal experience with friends and strangers. “The future of cinema is where it started – in a movie theatre,” he insists. His mum introduced him to film when he was five, so he thanked her and said “I love you Mum”. His wife also received an amazing thank you for being his muse and his “human”.
