British actor Frank Dillane has been awarded the Best Actor award in the Un Certain Regard section of the Cannes Film Festival.
Beating out the competition the 34-year-old from London, stood out with his portrayal of a ‘rough sleeper’ (someone who is homeless and sleeps on the streets) in Urchin, a film directed by fellow actor Harris Dickinson.
This was Dickinson’s directorial debut but not his first time in Cannes. Harris starred in ‘Triangle of Sadness’ which won the coveted Palme d’Or prize at Cannes in 2022. More recently he played Nicole Kidman’s crush in ‘Babygirl’.
Who is Frank Dillane?
Dillane is best known for his roles in ‘Fear the Walking Dead’ and ‘Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince’ (in which he played 16-year-old Tom Riddle).
What is Urchin about?
Urchin (99 minutes) follows the story of Mike (Dillane), a rough sleeper in London who is trapped in a cycle of self-destruction as he tried to turn his life around. The film production notes describe the film as “raw and absurd” and about the “stranger patterns that keep pulling us back”.
Full List of Un Certain Regard winners 2025:
The main prize went to:
LA MISTERIOSA MIRADA DEL FLAMENCO (THE MYSTERIOUS GAZE OF THE FLAMINGO), directed by Diego Céspedes (also hisfirst film).
Jury Prize
UN POETA (A POET) – Simón Mesa Soto
Best Directing
ARAB & TARZAN NASSER in Once Upon a Time in Gaza
Best Actor
FRANK DILLANE in Urchin directed by Harris Dickinson
Best Actress
CLEO DIÁRA in O Riso e a Faca (I Only Rest in the Storm) directed by Pedro Pinho
Best Screenplay
PILLION – Harry Lighton (1st film)
