Camera d’Or: “Samson and Delilah” by Warwick Thornton

The Camera d’Or for Best Debut Feature was awarded to Warwick Thornton for Samson and Delilah.

A Special Mention went to Ajami by Scandar Copti and Yaron Shani, presented in the Directors’ Fortnight.

The Camera d’Or Prize was bestowed by Jury President Roschdy Zem upon Director Warwick Thornton who exclaimed, "Oh Dear! Thank you for believing in our baby. Thank you for believing in our first born baby , Samson et Delilah. I don’t know what to say… Viva Cannes! Viva le cinéma!"

During the Laureate Press Conference, Warwick Thornton added:
"My life has been a Cinderella story. You know, I grew up on the streets of Alice Springs, getting in trouble with the police. I needed direction, and somehow I found cinema, and cinema found that direction for me. Cinema, in a sense saved my life, but the interesting thing is where I am today, I’ve only just begun. I’ve got so many more stories to tell, so many more (what I believe are) beautiful stories. They’re things that I desperately need to show the world. It’s almost like Cannes and the Camera d’Or is the beginning of a Cinderella story."