Though I’m recovering from fun and sun days on the Westcoast (along with “The Tudors” season three filled evenings) I would have given almost anything to be enjoying the long line-ups, fast food, lack of sleep and countless hours spent in dark theaters in southeastern France. Alas, that was not meant to be this year but the time will come. You’ll see.
While we were going about our business, the movie people at Cannes were trucking along on the final few days of the festival and boy, what a final few days they were! Though Lars von Trier’s Antichrist ruffled a whole lot of feathers, it didn’t stop the film from being picked up for North American distribution. IFC has shelled out for the rights but it’s unclear whether they’ll be editing the film or releasing it in a very limited run considering it will likely get an NC-17 (AKA certain box-office death) rating.
One unlikely film to be getting a lot of buzz is Marc Price’s Colin, a zombie film which Price made for $70. Most of the information I’ve seen on the film reverts back to the CNN story which made me curious about the film and though it sounds great (make a cheap movie that gets loads of attention at a prestigious film festival), buzz doesn’t always translate into greatness. I’m sure the film has its moments, the trailer certainly does, but I’m not sure I could sit through 90 minutes of this:
Our friends at Movie Set have posted a video of the press conference for The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus which includes Terry Gilliam talking about the film and discussing Heath Ledger’s method though I have a feeling most folks will be interested in the few clips we get to see from the film. Check it out:
And now what we’ve all been waiting for: the winners. The guys (and gals) who came out on top. I’m sure Michael Haneke will be celebrating his revenge. My mom can now rest assured that I have brought attention to Portuguese director João Salaviza’s Palme d’Or winning short film Arena.
Palme d’Or: The White Ribbon, directed by Michael Haneke
Grand Prix (runner-up): A Prophet, directed by Jacques Audiard
Prix Exceptional du Jury (Special Jury Prize): Alain Resnais, director of Wild Grass
Prix de la Mise en Scene (best director): Brillante Mendoza, director of Kinatay
Prix du Scenario (best screenplay): Feng Mei for Spring Fever (Chun Feng Chen Zui De Ye Wan), directed by Lou Ye
Camera d’Or (best first feature): Samson and Delilah directed by Warwick Thornton
Special Mention: Ajami directed by Scandar Copti, Yaron Shani
Prix du Jury (jury prize) – TIED: Fish Tank directed by Andrea Arnold and Thirst directed by Park Chan-wook
Prix d’interpretation feminine (best actress): Charlotte Gainsbourg for Antichrist
Prix d’interpretation masculine (best actor): Christoph Waltz for Inglorious Basterds
Palme d’Or (short film): Arena directed by Joao Salaviza
indieWire has a full list of winners including the special prizes. It’s worth noting that Canadian director Xavier Dolan’s debut J’ai tue ma mere pretty much swept the Directors Fortnight prizes while Cordell Barker’s Runaway, won the Petit Rail d’Or for Best Short Film at the International Critics’ Week in Cannes.
Some will recognize Barker’s name as the talent behind the famous The Cat Came Back (which you can watch for free care of the NFB) and his new film looks just as charming. The music by Benoît Charest (who did the great music for The Triplets of Belleville) is certain to get you humming. Here’s a clip:
We have a lot of great material to look forward to in the coming year. At the top of my list is Antichrist followed closely by Haneke’s new film and Dolan’s debut which I hope sees life in Canadian cinemas outside of Quebec.
And I’m actively looking for someone to pay my way to Cannes for 2010. If you’re looking for a writer (or a coffee girl), call me k?
For more Cannes news check out our earlier posts along with our extensive preview.
