Cannes 2024: Female-centric stories win big, ‘Anora’ earns Palme d’Or
Sean Baker clinched the Palme d'Or for "Anora", being the first American filmmaker to secure the festival's top prize since Terrence Malick earned the Palme for "The Tree of Life" in 2011.
"Anora" marks Baker's third film to debut at Cannes, following "The Florida Project" and "Red Rocket".
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. 
The theme of the plot of "Anora" is based on a rowdy whirlwind romance between an exotic dancer (Mikey Madison) and the obscenely rich son of a Russian oligarch (played by Mark Eydelshteyn).
Meanwhile, Payal Kapadia made history at the Cannes Film Festival by becoming the first Indian director to win the Grand Prix, the second-most prestigious award after the Palme d'Or.
Kapadia received the honour for her debut feature film, "All We Imagine As Light", which stars Kani Kusruti and Divya Prabha as Malayali nurses working in Mumbai.
Payal was present with the cast of the film—Kani Kusruti, Divya Prabha, and Chhaya Kadam—at the awards ceremony held on the last day of the festival.
Kapadia used her acceptance speech to express solidarity with the workers at the Cannes Film Festival who have been struggling for better working conditions. She displayed her red "Sous les écrans la dèche" button, from the collective representing freelance workers at the festival. The workers have been protesting throughout this year's festival.
The artiste said the values that drive her as a filmmaker are "solidarity, empathy, and empathy" and singled out the "many people who work behind the scenes at the festival." Stating, "They have done a magnificent job, and it is thanks to them the festival exists," before holding up her Sous les écrans button.
The primarily Malayalam-language Indian co-production was the first Indian title to be selected for the prestigious competition section at Cannes in 30 years, following Shaji Karun's "Swaham".
Kapadia is also the first Indian woman to be nominated in this category.
The film had its premiere on May 23 and it received a hearty eight-minute standing ovation, one of the longest of this edition of the film festival.
"All We Imagine As Light" is the first Indian film in competition at Cannes since 1994 and is one of only four female-directed features in the lineup this year. The movie delves into the connections between three women from Mumbai, of different ages and classes
In 1994, Shaji Karun's "Swaham" competed against "Pulp Fiction" for the Palme d'Or.
The Iranian political melodrama "The Seed of the Sacred Fig" by dissident director Mohammad Rasoulof, who fled Iran just weeks before the festival, received a special award from the jury.
The stars of Jacques Audiard's gender-transitioning Mexican crime musical, "Emilia Pérez", won the Best Actress Award, with Karla Sofía Gascón becoming the first trans actress to win at Cannes. "Emilia Pérez" also received the Jury Prize.
Jesse Plemons won Best Actor for his role in "Kinds of Kindness".
George Lucas and Francis Ford Coppola shared a precious moment as the director of "Megalopolis" bestowed the honourary Palme d'Or upon the visionary behind "Star Wars" at the Cannes Film Festival on Saturday night.
Prior to receiving the award, Lucas was greeted with a several-minute standing ovation in the theatre, during which he expressed gratitude with a thumbs-up gesture and appeared visibly moved. Upon Coppola's arrival on stage, the two shared an embrace and exchanged greetings.
Check out the full list of winners here-
- Palme d'Or - "Anora" by Sean Baker
- Grand Prize - "All We Imagine as Light" by Payal Kapadia
- Jury Prize - "Emilia Perez" by Jacques Audiard
- Best Director - "Grand Tour" by Miguel Gomes
- Special Prize - "The Seed of the Sacred Fig" by Mohammad Rasoulof
- Best Actor - Jesse Plemons for "Kinds of Kindness"
- Best Actress - Ensemble: Adriana Paz, Zoe Saldana, Karla Sofia Gascon, Selena Gomez for "Emilia Perez"
- Best Screenplay - "The Substance" by Coralie Fargeat
- Camera d'Or - "Armand", dir: Halfdan Ullmann Tøndel
- Special Mention - "Mongrel" by Chiang Wei Liang
- Short Film Palme d'Or - "The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent" by Nebojsa Slijepcevic
- Special Mention - "Bad For a Moment" by Daniel Soares
The Cannes Film Festival commenced its run on May 14. Greta Gerwig served as the jury president this year, along with Lily Gladstone, Hirokazu Kore-eda, Eva Green, Ebru Ceylan, Juan Antonio Bayona, Nadine Labaki, and Omar Sy.
Comments