Following last week's review of some of the films in competition at Cannes Film Festival, here is the list of the winners. And the Palme d'Or goes to... Blue is the Warmest Color by Abdellatif Kechiche. Cannes is known to choose films that no one expects, although this year, the winning film made exception as it was highly anticipated. Blue is the Warmest Color tells the story of a relationship between two women. With a fair amount of graphic scenes, Kechiche's film is an example of an uncensored and pushing-boundaries story. This choice comes right at a time when France is still struggling with anti same-sex marriage protests after a law making it legal passed a few days before the festival opened. Cannes is also known to send messages through its awards.
Uma Thurman giving the Palme d'Or to Director Abdellatif Kechiche and actresses Adele Exarchopoulos and Léa Seydoux for 'Blue is the warmest color'. (Photo credit: AFP)
The jurors didn't play it safe with the other prizes. Surprising critics, they chose Heli by Amat Escalante for the Directing prize, a disturbing story on kidnapping that challenges the audience by its unconventional and non commercial approach. Berenice Bejo (seen in The Artist) won for Best Actress for her performance in The Past, while Bruce Dern was awarded Best Actor. You can see the full list of winners here. Once again this year, Cannes proved that the unexpected and "new face of the film industry" has its place in festivals... and in movie theaters.
So what's next after Cannes? Have a look at some of the upcoming festivals to keep an eye on in June: Seattle International Film Festival (already opened), Sydney Film Festival, and Los Angeles Film Festival. More about those in the next newsletter.
