Everything has an ending, even the 75th Cannes Film Festival. It came to an end on Saturday, May 28th, during the closing ceremony, which was presented by Virginie Elfira. Vincent Lindon, as president of jury, announced the 2022 winners. It is here.
Vincent Lindon stated that the film shocked “the whole jury”. “This film” was “Triangle of sadness”, which is a French title that is “Without filter”, written by Swedish Ruben Ostlund. This satire on luxury and the super-rich succeeds “Titanium”, by Julia Ducournau. It was the Palme d’Or’s last year’s punk. This brings the director, five years after “The Square”, his second Palme.
The Euphoric Swede joined the Grand Theatre Lumiere’s very exclusive club of webbed doubles at 48. This included the Dardenne brothers, Ken Loach, and Ken Loach. The winner accepted his award and stated that they had one goal when making this film. “We wanted to make a film which interests the public and makes them think provocatively.”
“Without Filter” is the story of Yaya (and Carl), a couple of influencers and models on vacation on a luxury cruise. It’s a journey that ends in disaster. The film is a sort of inverted “Titanic”, which shows that the weakest people are not always the losers. It examines the springs and relations between class, from the top down: rich against poor, men against women, whites against blacks. Ruben Ostlund can continue to analyze social conventions, small cowardices, and moral dilemmas after the films “Play” (2011) and “Snow therapy” (2014).
Notably, the cast is English-speaking. Ostlund mixed newcomers (in particular, Charlbi Dale, a South African model) with confirmed actors like Woody Harrelson. This film didn’t impress Nicolas Schaller, our critic.
Zar Amir Ebrahimi (Iran’s actress) was forced to leave Iran in 2008 after a sex crime. She won the Best Actress award. This thriller, which features David Fincher sauce in “the land of the mullahs” and tells of the assassination by a madman God of prostitutes, portrays her role of a journalist searching for truth who is confronted with patriarchal Iranian society’s machismo.
When she was awarded her award, the actress spoke Farsi for the first time. She said that she felt like she had been on a long journey before reaching this stage (…). It was a painful journey, and that France has helped her feel better. “This film is about women and their bodies. It is full of hatred, hands, breasts, and everything that Iran cannot show. Thank you Ali Abassi for being so crazy, so generous. She was visibly moved to add, “Thank you for such powerful art.”
Zar Amir Ebrahimi was born in Tehran, where she grew-up. She performed in theaters and played important roles in television series and movies. In 2006, her career was interrupted by a sex scandal that forced her to flee Iran for France in 2008. She said, “I am condemned in France to freedom. I would like my family be proud of me tonight.
Song Kang-ho (55), a South Korean actor, was awarded the Cannes best actor award for his role as Hirokazu Kore–Eda’s “Blessed Stars” director. Favorite actor of Bong Joonho, his compatriot, and star in his film “Parasite”, Palme d’Or 2019. He plays a man who is involved in baby trafficking and will create a small family.
His debt-ridden character finds an abandoned child and offers to help him find a family in return for money. He is surrounded by a man who assists him in the “transaction” as well as the young mother, whose motives are not clear for a long period. The baby’s sale will result in a van-sized trip between Busan, Seoul and Seoul. The winner stated soberly, “I am very happy to be of service to my entire family,” after receiving his prize.
Ex-aequo, the Grand Prix, second most prestigious distinction, after the Palme d’Or was awarded to Claire Denis in France for “Stars at noon” and to Lukas Dhont in Belgium for “Close”.
South Korean Park Chan-Wook is the recipient of the Directing Prize for her “Decision to Leave”
Jean-Pierre was presented with an unexpected 75th Anniversary Prize
Many people were happy to receive the Jury Prize. Ex-aequo was named by the jury as one of the veterans, Jerzy Skolimowski from Poland with “Eo”, along with a couple: Felix Van Groeningen and Charlotte Vandermeersch of Belgium, for their adaptations of “Eight mountains” by Paolo Cognetti.
Tarik Saleh (a Swedish director from Egypt) won the Screenplay Prize for “Boy From Heaven”. The story follows the complex trajectory of a student at Al-Azhar University in Cairo, which is an important place in Sunni Islam.
For “Plan 75”, the Japanese Hayakawachie received the Special Mention.
The Palme d’Or for Short Film went Chinese Jianying Chen for “The Water Murmurs”.
For “Lori”, Nepalese Abinash Bukram Shah received the Special Mention for Short Films.
The Golden Camera awarded “War Pony”, the first film signed by Gina Gammel, Riley Kough and Granddaughter of Elvis Presley.
The Camera d’or award, which recognizes a first film in any category, was won by “War Pony”, a film about two Native American boys whose fates are intertwined. It was presented at the 75th Cannes Film Festival on Saturday night.
“I feel like my body is going to collapse. It’s one the most important films of all time, and it’s so wonderful to be acknowledged as such. Gina Gammel accepted the award and said, “It’s been a dream since we were little girls.” She dedicated the award to a young actor who had just lost her mother.
“War Pony” focuses on Bill, a 23-year old struggling to make ends met, and Matho, a 12-year-old eager to be a man living in an underprivileged South Dakota neighborhood.
