The 70th Cannes Film Festival wrapped up on Sunday in France, with film The Square claiming the prestigious Palme d’Or award.
Director of the film Ruben Ostlund proved his skill again with film The Square after he won the Jury Award with film Force Majeure back in 2014.
The film tells the story of Christian, a respected curator of a contemporary art museum, who is about to open a prestigious exhibition called “The Square”. A few days before the event he is mugged which sends him into a vicious search for the perpetrator. Meanwhile, the museum’s PR agency creates an unexpected situation for him which ends up sending both parties plunging into a crisis.
“For me, it does not feel like a coincidence, it feels like working in their tradition and working in their spirit,” said Ostlund.
This year the Grand Prize Award went to Robin Campillo’s 120 Beats per Minute which revolves around the Act-Up movement by Aids awareness activists.
“I feel so excited and touched for winning this award. When I stood on the podium I even felt a little bit lonely and expected the actors, producer and publisher to accompany me,” said Campillo.
American director Sofia Coppola won Best Director Award for the movie The Beguiled.
Joaquin Phoenix won the best actor award with his excellent performance in You Were Never Really Here and Diane Kruger was presented with the best actress award for her work in In the Fade, directed by Fatih Akin.
Nicole Kidman who brought four works to the festival also won the Special Prize.
Chinese director Qiu Yang became the first Chinese filmmaker to win the Palme d’Or for best short film with the movie A Gentle Night, a 15-minute film in Changzhou-dialect about a mother trying hard to find her missing daughter on the eve of Chinese New Year.
“It was great, like we never expected anything and we never prepared anything,” Qiu.
