The Nice airport is getting a bit less busy, and the cafés and hotels on the Croisette are quieter as the Cannes Film Festival wraps up today. Awards are starting to be handed out and first up are the prizes for the festival's Un Certain Regard category, which tends to feature newer, lesser-known directors and slightly edgier fare than the main competition lineup.
The jury, presided over by Tim Roth (who also starred in the Critics' Week opening film "Broken"), has given the Prize Of Un Certain Regard to Mexico's "Después de Lucía." To be honest, we heard very little about this one on the grounds of the fest, but the film directed by Michael Franco follows a father and daughter who are starting their lives over in a new town. This should give a nice boost to the film which doesn't have domestic distribution yet, but for the buyers left in town hoping to make one last deal, this one looks like a smart bet.
In a rather interesting change, the jury awarded two Best Actress prizes this year — no one took Best Actor. First up, Suzanne Clement earned recognition for her great turn in Xavier Dolan's ambitious and beautiful (read our review here) "Laurence Anyways." She plays the girlfriend of the titular Laurence whose decision to become a woman finds her admirably standing by her man, but suffering some tremendous emotional fallout as a result. It's a great performance, and we're glad she (and the film) got some some love. Also taking an acting trophy is Emilie Dequenne for her role in Joachim Lafosse's "La Pedre La Raison" another film that didn't quite land on our radar at the fest, but follows a romance that becomes tested by marriage and children.
Finally, the Jury Prize went to "Le Grand Soir" a story of two brothers who couldn't be more different while the Special Distinction Of The Jury was awarded to Aida Begic's "Djeca" ("Children Of Sarajevo"), about two orphans following the Bosnian war. We had heard some good word about the film, so we'll see if it lands stateside. Winners recap below.
PRIZE OF UN CERTAIN REGARD
DESPUÉS DE LUCIA by Michel FRANCO
SPECIAL JURY PRIZE
LE GRAND SOIR by Benoît DELÉPINE and Gustave KERVERN
UN CERTAIN REGARD AWARD FOR BEST ACTRESS
Suzanne CLÉMENT for her performance in LAURENCE ANYWAYS directed by Xavier DOLAN
UN CERTAIN REGARD AWARD FOR BEST ACTRESS
Emilie DEQUENNE for her performance in À PERDRE LA RAISON directed by Joachim LAFOSSE
SPECIAL DISTINCTION OF THE JURY
DJECA by Aida BEGIC
(Children of Sarajevo)