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Winter Sleep wins Cannes Palme d'Or

Acting honours for Moore and Spall

by Richard Mowe

Quentin Tarantino and Uma Thurman present the Palme d'Or to Nuri Bilge Ceylan for Winter Sleep.

Turkish director Nuri Bilge Ceylan has won the Cannes Film Festival’s top prize the Palme d’Or with Winter Sleep in the year that Turkish cinema is celebrating its centenary with a special focus in the Festival.

Although the film was touted as a strong contender early on, Ceylan looked genuinely surprise at the accolade, which he received before a red carpet crowd in the 2300-seat Lumière theatre.

With an epic running time of some 196 minutes the film tested the patience of many but clearly not Jane Campion’s jury.

Another award which had been promoted early in the Festival, was a best actor gong for Timothy Spall and his portrayal of the iconic artist in Mike Leigh’s Mr. Turner.

Timothy Spall receives his best actor award in Cannes from Monica Bellucci for Mr. Turner

Spall was in The Netherlands when he received the call from the Festival to return to the Riviera. The actor, in a long and rambling acceptance speech, said: “I am a bit overcome. Four hours ago I was in the Netherlands greasing my boat and I got a call summoning me to come back.”

The best actress proved an unexpected choice: Julianne Moore was honoured for her role as a fading leading lady in Maps To The Stars by David Cronenberg, a caustic view of Hollywood and celebrity culture. Moore’s award was picked by scriptwriter Bruce Wagner.

Although at one point he had been mooted for the top accolade the young Canadian director Xavier Dolan, 25, was happy with his jury award for Mommy which he shared with veteran Jean-Luc Godard, 83, for his 70-minute extravaganza Goodbye To Language. Dolan, in an emotional speech, told Jane Campion that her film The Piano had been a big influence and had inspired him to create strong women’s roles. Godard traditionally now does not come to Cannes.

Bennett Miller was named best director for Foxcatcher, a true-crime story of wrestling, ambition and madness starring Steve Carell, Channing Tatum and Mark Ruffalo. It is already being mentioned as an Oscar contender. Actor Adrien Brody presented the award.

The arresting Russian drama Leviathan won best screenplay for Andrei Zviagyntsev and Oleg Negin.

An emotional Xavier Dolan, shared the Jury Prize for his film Mommy with Jean-Luc Godard

The Camera d’Or prize for the best first film in the Festival was bestowed on Party Girl, the opening film in the Un Certain Regard section, which marks the directorial debut of Marie Amachoukeli, Claire Burger and Samuel Theis.

It turns on the life of Angelique, a 60-year-old nightclub hostess and the real Angelique plays her.

Early in the ceremony long-standing festival president Gilles Jacob took his farewell to a standing ovation. His successor Pierre Lescure, the former journalist and TV executive will take over the reins next year. Artistic director Thierry Frémaux continues in his role.

Presided over by Jane Camption the jury for the 67th edition comprises Jia Zhangke, Willem Dafoe, Leila Hatami, Carole Bouquet, Gael Garcia Bernal, Jeon Do-yeon, Nicolas Winding Refn and Sofia Coppola.

THE AWARDS IN FULL

PALME D’OR

Winter Sleep, Nuri Bilge Ceylan

GRAND PRIX

The Wonders, Alice Rohrwacher

BEST DIRECTOR

Bennett Miller, Foxcatcher

JURY PRIZE

Goodbye To Language, Jean-Luc Godard
Mommy, Xavier Dolan

BEST SCREENPLAY
Leviathan, Andrei Zviagyntsev & Oleg Negin

BEST ACTOR

Timothy Spall, Mr. Turner