Justine Triet wins Palme d’Or at Cannes for ‘Anatomy of a Fall’

Justine Triet won the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival for courtroom drama “Anatomy of a Fall”
| Photo Credit: AFP

A tense courtroom drama about a writer accused of her husband’s murder took the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival on Saturday, capping a strong year for women directors.

French director Justine Triet won the festival’s top prize for the gripping and icy drama led by a powerful performance from German actress Sandra Hueller, who also starred in “The Zone of Interest” which won the runner-up Grand Prix.

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As Ms. Triet accepted the Palme d’Or in Cannes on Saturday, she slammed the government of President Emmanuel Macron over its “shocking” suppression of pension protests.

“The country suffered from historic protests over the reform of the pension system. These protests were denied… repressed in a shocking way,” she said in her speech as she won the top prize at the Cannes Film Festival for courtroom drama “Anatomy of a Fall”.

Best Actor

Japan’s Koji Yakusho won best actor at Cannes for “Perfect Days” by German director Wim Wenders, a touching tale about a Tokyo toilet cleaner.

“I want to specifically thank Wim Wenders… who truly created a magnificent character,” he said as he received the award.

Best Actress

Turkey’s Merve Dizdar won best actress at the Cannes Film Festival on Saturday for “About Dry Grasses”, the latest from festival favourite Nuri Bilge Ceylan.

She said she played “someone who is fighting for her life and she has overcome a lot of difficulties.”

“Under normal circumstances I would have to work hard on this character in order to understand her but I live in a part of the country which enabled me to fully understand who she is,” she said.

“I understand what it is, being a woman in that area.”

The film focuses on a dejected schoolteacher frustrated with his life in a remote Anatolian village .Shot in Ceylan’s visually arresting style, it looks at teacher-pupil relations and the roots of political engagement.

Runner-up Prize

Jonathan Glazer, who won the runner-up prize at this year’s Cannes Film Festival on Saturday for his Holocaust drama “The Zone of Interest”, has made just a handful of films in 20 years.

But each one has been unique, drawing highly memorable performances from stars such as Nicole Kidman, Ben Kingsley and, in his latest feature, Sandra Hueller.

The Cannes-winning film comes a decade on from the enigmatic British director’s last film, “Under the Skin”, the ultra-bizarre alien flick starring Scarlett Johansson.