US director Baker wins Palme d'Or at Cannes, while Iranian filmmaker Rasoulof receives Jury Prize.
The film titled "Anora" narrates the story of a prostitute in New York who becomes entangled with a Russian oligarch's son. This movie, featuring actress Mikey Madison, has been compared to the classic "Pretty Woman" by critics. Greta Gerwig, an American director, was the jury president and praised the movie, calling it a "humanity-filled film that swept us all off our feet."
Ahead of receiving his award at Cannes, Baker talks about how he believes it's harmful for governments to regulate prostitution. During the ceremony, the 53-year-old emphasized the importance of big-screen movies over watching them on a phone or at home. He said, "There's a massive difference between viewing a film in a cinema and on a small screen."
Iranian director Mohammad Rasoulof, who was initially considered as the favorite, instead received the Special Jury Prize. Rasoulof managed to escape Iran and reach France just before the festival. He had been given an eight-year prison sentence and was supposed to get lashed for criticizing the Iranian leadership.
51-year-old Rasoulof presented his stealthily filmed movie "The Seed of the Sacred Fig" in Cannes. It depicts an Iranian judge who feels like a slave to the government and is tormented by moral conflicts. This accolade is bittersweet for Rasoulof because it also symbolizes the start of a permanent exile for him. In an AFP interview at the event, he stated, "I don't plan on returning to Iran at the moment."
The best actress award went to the two performers from the musical comedy "Emilia Perez" by French filmmaker Jacques Audiard. The cast includes Selena Gomez and the 52-year-old transsexual actress Gascón, who played the lead role. Their performance about a Mexican drug lord awakens a desire to transform himself through a sex change also won the Jury Prize. The honor for best actor went to Jesse Plemons.
During the closing gala, "Star Wars" creator George Lucas was bestowed the honorary palm for his extraordinary body of work. The eminent 80-year-old became emotional as he received the award from his long-time friend and coworker Francis Ford Coppola. Recently, Coppola's epic film "Megalopolis" faced immense criticism.
The Cannes festival, which lasted twelve days in the French Riviera, initially drew attention for Me Too scandals. Judith Godrèche, an actress, garnered a thousand participants who are victims of sexual assault to a short film shown there. No other accusations of misconduct involving celebrities from the movie industry surfaced during the event.
Four of the 22 films in the competition were directed by women, with two of them receiving awards. French director Coralie Fargeat won the writing prize for her horror film "The Substance." Indian director Payal Kapadia was granted the Grand Jury Prize for "All we imagine as light."
No German films were showcased in Cannes this year. However, Rasoulof's movie was a German-Iranian-French co-production. There is currently no release date for it in Germany.
Several German actors were featured in competitions, such as Diane Kruger in David Cronenberg's film "The Shrouds" and Franz Rogowski in Andrea Arnold's film "Bird." Meanwhile, Hollywood stars like Richard Gere, Demi Moore, and Kevin Costner walked down the red carpet in Cannes this year.
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Source: www.stern.de
