The main competition titles “Son of Saul,” “Mia Madre” and “The Measure of a Man” and the Un Certain Regard entries “Masaan” and “Taklub” won prizes at the Cannes Film Festival on Saturday, taking home awards from the FIPRESCI and Ecumenical juries.
The Hungarian Holocaust drama “Son of Saul” was named the best film in the main competition by FIPRESCI, the International Federation of Film Critics.
The film is the first feature directed by Laszlo Nemes, and the only debut feature to be accepted into the main competition. “‘Son of Saul’ does something remarkable,” wrote TheWrap after its first Cannes screening. “It finds an original way to look at the Holocaust cinematically, bringing a startling energy and a fresh look to a subject already explored countless times onscreen.”
Also read: ‘Son of Saul’ Cannes Review: Rookie Director Shocks Festival With Wrenching Holocaust Drama
U.S. rights to the film were bought by Sony Pictures Classics during the festival.
FIPRESCI gave its top prize in the Un Certain Regard section to Neeraj Ghaywa’s “Masaan,” and singled out Santiago Mitre’s “Paulina” from the International Critics’ Week section.
The awards were chosen by nine international film critics from Brazil, Denmark, Egypt, France, Hong Kong, India, Turkey and the UK.
The Prize of the Ecumenical Jury, which was created by Catholic and Protestant filmmakers and film professionals, went to “Mia Madre,” Nanni Moretti‘s main-competition film about a director trying to make a movie and also deal with his dying mother.
Also read: ‘Mia Madre’ Cannes Review: Moving Italian Film Mixes Personal Drama, Showbiz Comedy
The Ecumenical Jury also gave special mentions to Stephane Brize’s “The Measure of a Man,” from the main competition, and Brillante Mendoza’s “Taklub,” from Un Certain Regard.
In other Cannes awards, the Palm Dog, an award for the best canine performance at the festival, went to Lucky, a Maltipoo from Miguel Gomes’ three-part, six-hour “Arabian Nights.”
See photos: Cannes Wrap Magazine Directors Portfolio: 10 Esteemed Auteurs Showing at the Festival (Photos)
And the L’Oeil d’Or, a new award given to a festival documentary, went to Marcia Tambutti’s “Beyond My Grandfather Allende,” from the granddaughter of the deposed Chilean president. Special mention went to “Ingrid Bergman, in Her Own Words,” from Stig Björkman.