Meet the winners of the 76th edition of the Festival de Cannes
All the winners of this 76th edition met with the press following the Awards Ceremony to share their thoughts and answer questions. Here are a few snippets of what they had to say.
Justine Triet, Palme d’or for Anatomie d’une chute (Anatomy of a Fall)
There are more women among us today. I’m thrilled by this award, and thrilled at being the third woman [to win a Palme d’or], it’s a little crazy. I’m very touched, I don’t think it has quite sunk in yet. I didn’t expect this. What makes me so happy is that there will be a ripple effect based on the film. The third woman? That bodes well for the future. The women are coming. I struggled to identify with female role models because there weren’t that many of them.
Jonathan Glazer, Grand Prix for The Zone of Interest
In The Zone of Interest, the cameras don’t interfere with the actors, so they had a lot of freedom. We filmed each scene just once, with each taken from multiple different angles. I’m very pleased the film was screened and we had a discussion around it. Cannes is going to help The Zone of Interest be seen around the world.
Trần Anh Hùng, Best Director Award for La Passion de Dodin Bouffant (The Pot-au-Feu)
When I make a film, I always try to go beyond the story to give viewers a rush of cinematic momentum and a film with poetry. Cooking is an art. I found it fascinating to tackle this theme and incorporate a romance. Smell, taste and touch are senses common to both cooking and love. I set out to illustrate this same sensuality in both themes.
Aki Kaurismäki, Jury Prize for Kuolleet Lehdet (Fallen Leaves)
Alma Pöysti, actor
Aki sent us a note. If you’ve seen the film, you’ll know that you need to be careful of notes! Aki is delighted and thankful for this award. We’re still having to pinch ourselves to remind ourselves it’s real.
Jussi Vatanen, actor
In just a few words, Aki can say so much. A single line is enough. We wanted the film to be funny, and as these two characters have known each other for a long time, we wanted to give love a chance.
Yuji Sakamoto, Best Screenplay Award for Kaibutsu (Monster)
Hirokazu Kore-eda, director
I’m sitting here representing Yuji Sakamoto, my screenwriter, who would have liked to be here beside me accepting this award. We did a lot of talking for this project. Being able to engage in these discussions made me less unsure of the screenplay. I always research ahead of time when I’m writing the screenplays for my films. I visited a few schools to meet staff working in education, as well as institutions that support LGBT children.
Merve Dizdar, Best Actress Award for Kuru Otlar Ustune (About Dry Grasses)
It’s very hard to be a woman, right from the moment we enter the world. Women are forced to struggle. A woman is a fight, and the battle calls for hope.
Koji Yakusho, Best Actor Award for Perfect Days
At home, I never clean the toilets, so the film crew taught me how. During shooting, I cleaned very different toilets, to the extent that by the end of filming the cleaning company wanted to hire me.
Pham Thien An, Caméra d’or for Bên Trong Vo Ken Vang (Inside The Yellow Cocoon Shell)
For my next film project, I plan on going as deep as possible and creating something instinctively. I’ve never met Trần Anh Hùng but we intend to meet up later. There are some hugely talented film-makers in Asia, this is a big night for Asian cinema and Vietnamese film especially.
Gunnur Martinsdóttir Schlüter, Special Mention from the Short Film Jury for Fár
I always get asked if I want to make a feature film, and since arriving in Cannes, I’ve been considering it. For this kind of project, first you need the idea, then you decide what format suits it best.
Flóra Anna Buda, Short Film Palme d’or for 27
I share that vision. I have a few feature film ideas in mind.