The Palme d’Or was awarded to Michael Haneke for The White Ribbon. Michael Haneke accepted the distinction from the hands of Isabelle Huppert with these words: “Thank you very much. Sometimes my wife asks me a very feminine question: that is, am I happy. Well, let me say that at this moment in time, I am very happy. Much thanks also to Thierry Frémaux for including me in this prestigious competition; to my producers, for letting me do what I wanted; to the funding sources which financed the film, and to the children, who were an enormous gift to me. A thousand thanks!”
At the Laurete Press Conference, Michael Haneke said: “I feel good. Naturally. The Palme d’Or is the best prize a filmmaker can win. I am very happy. There are always rumors at the Festival, and one must not take them seriously. When I presented Hidden, everyone was telling me I was going to win the Palme. And I didn’t get it… Of course, you’re curious about how it’s going to end up. I am not proud, but I am very happy. In my opinion, it’s silly to be proud. As a director, I always see the flaws in my films. I’m never entirely satisfied. You just hope the audience won’t notice them.”
The official Jury of this 62nd Festival de Cannes, presided by Isabelle Huppert, revealed the Prize winners during the Closing Ceremonies on the evening of May 24th.
IN COMPETTION – FEATURE FILMS
Palme d’Or
DAS WEISSE BAND (The White Ribbon) directed by Michael HANEKE
Grand Prix
UN PROPHÈTE (A Prophet) directed by Jacques AUDIARD
Lifetime achievement award for his work and his exceptional contribution to the history of cinema: Alain RESNAIS
Best Director
Brillante MENDOZA for KINATAY
Jury Prize
FISH TANK directed by Andrea ARNOLD
BAK-JWI (Thirst) directed by PARK Chan-Wook
Best Performance for an Actor
Christoph WALTZ in INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS directed by Quentin TARANTINO
Best Performance by an Actress
Charlotte GAINSBOURG in ANTICHRIST directed by Lars von TRIER
Best Screenplay
MEI Feng for CHUN FENG CHEN ZUI DE YE WAN (Spring Fever) directed by LOU Ye
Prix Vulcain: Artist-Technician
Aitor BERENGUER, sound technician of the movie MAP OF THE SOUNDS OF TOKYO directed by Isabel COIXET.
IN COMPETITION – SHORT FILMS
Palme d’Or
ARENA directed by João SALAVIZA
Special Distinction
THE SIX DOLLAR FIFTY MAN directed by Mark ALBISTON, Louis SUTHERLAND
CAMERA D’OR
SAMSON AND DELILAH directed by Warwick THORNTON (presented at Un Certain Regard)
Caméra d’Or – Special Distinction
AJAMI directed by Scandar COPTI, Yaron SHANI (presented at Quinzaine des Réalisateurs)
UN CERTAIN REGARD
Prix Un Certain Regard – Fondation Gan pour le Cinéma
KYNODONTAS (Dogtooth) by Yorgos LANTHIMOS
Jury Prize
POLITIST, ADJECTIV (Police, Adjective) by Corneliu PORUMBOIU.
Special Prize Un Certain Regard 2009
KASI AZ GORBEHAYE IRANI KHABAR NADAREH (No One Knows About Persian Cats) by Bahman GHOBADI
LE PÈRE DE MES ENFANTS (Father of My Children) by Mia HANSEN-LØVE
CINEFONDATION
First Cinéfondation Prize
BÁBA by Zuzana Kirchnerová-Å pidlová (FAMU, République Tchèque)
Second Cinéfondation Prize
GOODBYE by Song Fang (Beijing Film Academy, Chine)
Third Cinéfondation Prize (ex aequo)
DIPLOMA by Yaelle Kayam (The Sam Spiegel Film & TV School, Israël)
NAMMAE UI JIP (Don’t Step out of the House) directed by Jo Sung-hee (Korean Academy of Film Arts, Corée du Sud)