Another day of film
Samir Farid resumes his commentary from the 64th Cannes Festival
It is unnecessary to speak of the Palme d'Or winner this year, since Tree of Life was reviewed in last week's issue of this paper -- and it was predicted that it would win the prize.
Screened at the end of the competition screenings last Friday, the well-known Turkish auteur Nuri Bilge Ceylan's Once Upon a Time in Anatolia was a masterpiece in which Ceylan transcends Turkish realities to a vision of human life rooted in his culture. Clearly it was left to the end to maintain the vitality of the festival till the last moment and provide a satisfying finale. This is the first of Ceylan's films to be shot in wide screen for both aesthetic and objective reasons: it is full of panoramic views of nature. It is a film about the death that resides within life, a theme developed through the official search for the body of a murder victim in the company of the two prisoners accused of the murder. A Thousand and One Nights -inspired treatment of crime and punishment: it turns life into a dream, truth into a nightmare.
Unlike the Grand Prix Ex-aequo, the prizes that went to Herat Shulayim and Melancholia were in my view politically motived and largely undeserved.
As for the Arab contribution to Cannes, the most notable aspect was of course 18 Days -- a veritable cinematic demonstration that brought together over 100 film artists in total. It was screened at the guest-of-honour celebration as a tribute to the Egyptian revolution and Egyptian film. I had expected a good film despite the limited time in which was made. The pleasant surprise was that it is one of the best films in the history of Egyptian cinema. It is so well made and absorbing it is as if it took a whole year to make. 18 Days is not only a beautiful, varied and moving expression of the revolution but also a more or less comprehensive document of the revolution -- its causes, its developments, and the meaning of the events that punctuated its unfolding.
The film commanded a full house. Thierry Frémaux, the director of the festival, presented those of its makers who were present: Youssri Nasrallah, Marwan Hamid, Kamla Abu- Zikri, Mohammad Ali, Sherif El-Bendary, Mariam Abu-Ouf, Ahmad Alaa; Youssra, Mona Zaki, Ahmad Helmi, Asser Yassin, Salwa Mohammad Ali. Speaking in French, Nasrallah paid tribute to revolutions in Tunisia, Syria, Yemen and Libya. Speaking in English on behalf of everyone who contributed to the film, Abu-Ouf dedicated the film to the martyrs of the revolution. For his part, Ahmad Helmi spoke in Arabic.
JURIES
Robert De Niro
Nigel Parry/CPI
President of the jury - Feature film Robert DE NIRO
Actor, Filmmaker, Producer
Michel Gondry
President of the jury -
Cinefondation & short films Michel GONDRY
Director
Members of the jury
Julie GAYETVoir la photo de 'Julie GAYET'
Actress
Jessica HAUSNERVoir la photo de 'Jessica HAUSNER'
Director
Corneliu PORUMBOIUVoir la photo de 'Corneliu PORUMBOIU'
Director
Jo‹o Pedro RODRIGUESVoir la photo de 'Jo‹o Pedro RODRIGUES'
Emir Kusturica
President of the jury - Un Certain Regard Emir KUSTURICA
Director.
Members of the jury
Elodie BOUCHEZ
Actress
Peter BRADSHAW
Critic-The Guardian
Geoffroy GILMORE
Chief Creative Officer-Tribeca Enterprises
Daniela MICHEL
Director of the Morelia Festival
Bong Joon-Ho
President of the jury - Golden Camera Joon Ho BONG
Members of the jury
Robert ALAZRAKI
Photo Director
Daniel COLLAND
Manager Cinedia Laboratory
Danièle HEYMANN
Critic
Jacques MAILLOTVoir la photo de 'Jacques MAILLOT'
Director
Alex MASSON
Eva VEZER
Head of Magyar Filmunio
AWARDS
In Competition :
Feature films
Palme d'Or
THE TREE OF LIFE directed by Terrence MALICK
Grand Prix Ex-aequo
BIR ZAMANLAR ANADOLU'DA (ONCE UPON A TIME IN ANATOLIA) directed by Nuri Bilge CEYLAN
LE GAMIN AU VÉLO (THE KID WITH A BIKE) directed by Jean-Pierre et Luc DARDENNE
Award for Best Director
Nicolas WINDING REFN for DRIVE
Award for Best Screenplay
Joseph CEDAR for HEARAT SHULAYIM (Footnote)
Award for Best Actress
Kirsten DUNST in MELANCHOLIA directed by Lars VON TRIER
Award for Best Actor
Jean DUJARDIN in THE ARTIST directed by Michel HAZANAVICIUS
Jury Prize
POLISSE (POLISS) directed by MAÜWENN
Short Films
Palme d'Or - Short Film
CROSS (CROSS - COUNTRY) directed by Maryna VRODA
Jury Prize - Short Film
BADPAKJE 46 (SWIMSUIT 46) directed by Wannes DESTOOP
Un Certain Regard :
Prize of Un Certain Regard Ex-aequo
ARIRANG directed by KIM Ki-Duk
HALT AUF FREIER STRECKE (STOPPED ON TRACK) directed by Andreas DRESEN
Un Certain Regard Special Jury Prize
ELENA directed by Andrey ZVYAGINTSEV
Directing Prize of Un Certain Regard
BÉ OMID É DIDAR directed by Mohammad RASOULOF
Cinefondation :
1st Prize Cinéfondation
DER BRIEF (THE LETTER) directed by Doroteya DROUMEVA
2nd Prize - Cinéfondation
DRARI directed by Kamal LAZRAQ
3rd Prize Cinéfondation
YA-GAN-BI-HANG (FLY BY NIGHT) directed by SON Tae-gyum
Golden Camera :
Caméra d'or
LAS ACACIAS directed by Pablo GIORGELLI
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