PRESS CONFERENCE – Feature Film Jury

The Feature Film Jury of the 68th Festival de Cannes, presided by Joel and Ethan Coen, with Sophie Marceau, Jake Gyllenhaal, Sienna Miller, Guillermo Del Toro, Rokia Traoré, Xavier Dolan and Rossy De Palma, answered questions from the press after the Awards Ceremony. Selected highlights.

Joel et Ethan Coen: “The decision to award the Palme d’or to Dheepan was taking very quickly. We were all fired up by the subject of this film.  There were other films that other members of the Jury liked a lot, but we were all agreed on this one. What’s more, there are some films we’d like to see again. This was an extremely intense experience. It altered the viewer within us.”

Guillermo Del Toro: “We gave the prize to a first film. Others went to experienced directors. The Competition is imperfect, by definition. But this award represents our very best efforts. We discussed all the films and this award does not necessarily reflect the depth of our discussions. We also found that the language in The Assassin was both poetic and lucid.

Rokia Traoré: We never thought about the number of films from a certain country or by a certain director. All the films were treated equally. We really had to choose.

Sophie Marceau:  Watching so many films left me in a state of constant discovery. It’s a fantastic feeling, in which to judge films. You’re in a receptive state, open to what touches you.

Xavier Dolan: Some films make their impact easily, but differently for each of us: through their images or their subject matter, while others are slow burners. We discussed every detail and every element of every film.

Jake Gyllenhaal: Dheepan really spoke to me. This idea of three strangers who have to leave, band together and become a family seemed a very difficult one to address. It was unlike anything ever seen before.

Rossy de Palma: During this Festival, I realised just how difficult it is to direct a really good film, when you put all your heart into it. I learnt a lot – it’s like making love to the cinema every day!

Sienna Miller: I was deeply moved by Son of Saul. it is a very complex theme to tackle. I’ve never seen the team tackled so powerfully. It really touched me..
 

Reported by Hannah Benayoun and Benoit Pavan