CANNES, France (AP) — The richly ruminative Chekhovian drama “Winter Sleep” was awarded the Palme d’Or on Saturday, bestowing the Cannes Film Festival’s top honor on an intimate, wintery epic set on Turkey’s Anatolian steppe.
Director Nuri Bilge Ceylan accepted the award, handed out by Quentin Tarantino and Uma Thurman at the French Riviera festival. In his speech, Ceylan alluded to anti-government protests in Istanbul that began a year ago and have raged following a recent mining disaster that killed hundreds.
“I want to dedicate the prize to the young people in Turkey and those who lost their lives during the last year,” said Ceylan.
For the second year in a row, Cannes awarded its top honor to a film running more than three hours. The French lesbian coming-of-age tale “Blue Is the Warmest Color” won the Palme in 2013; this year, the jury, headed by Jane Campion, opted for Ceylan’s meditative character study about a retired actor running a hotel and lording over his village tenants.
“I was scared. I said, ‘I’m going to need a toilet break,'” said Campion backstage about the three hour, 16 minute running time of “Winter Sleep.” But she said the film “took me in,” calling it “masterful” and “ruthless.”
Accepting the award, Ceylan, who has twice won Cannes’ second-highest honor, the Grand Prix, noted it was the 100th anniversary of Turkish cinema.
“It’s a beautiful coincidence,” he said. “Winter Sleep” is the second film by a Turkish director to win the Palme d’Or following Yilmaz Guney and Serif Goren’s “The Way” in 1982.
Julianne Moore won best actress for her performance in David Cronenberg’s dark Hollywood satire “Maps to the Stars.” Screenwriter Bruce Wagner accepted the award for Moore and cheered the town he savagely parodies in the film: “Vive Los Angeles. Vive David Cronenberg. Vive Julianne Moore. And vive la France,” he said.
Best actor went to Timothy Spall, who stars as British painter J.M.W. Turner in Mike Leigh’s biopic “Mr. Turner.” He spoke emotionally about a long, humble career that has often gone without such notice.
“I’ve spent a lot of time being a bridesmaid,” said the veteran character actor, whose phone rang as he tried to read his speech from it. “This is the first time I’ve ever been a bride.”
Bennett Miller (“Capote,” ”Moneyball”) won best director for his wresting drama “Foxcatcher,” the American film that made the biggest impact at Cannes. Miller dedicated his award to his stars Channing Tatum, Steve Carell and Mark Ruffalo, as well as producer Megan Ellison.
The jury prize was shared by the oddest of couples: Xavier Dolan’s “Mommy” and Jean-Luc Godard’s “Goodbye to Language.” The two were the oldest (Godard is 83) and youngest (Dolan is 25) directors at the festival.
“Goodbye to Language” is a 3-D art-house sensation from the ever-experimental French master (who sent a short film in his absence from Cannes). “Mommy” is a French-language mother-son drama shot in an Instagram-like 1:1 aspect ratio (a square).
Dolan, a Quebec filmmaker who has already made five features, told Campion that her films inspired him to write strong women characters. Campion’s “The Piano” won the Palme in 1993, the sole female director win.
“There are no limits to our ambitions except those we build for ourselves,” said Dolan.
Alice Rohrwatcher’s “The Wonders,” an Italian drama about a family of beekeepers, was the surprise winner of the Grand Prix. Rohrwatcher was one of two female directors among the 18 films in competition for the Palme d’Or.
“Leviathan,” a tragic satire about small-town corruption in Russia by Andrey Zvyagintsev, took best screenplay. Though the film depicts corrupt local officials in Vladimir Putin’s Russia, it was made with financial support from that country’s Ministry of Culture.
The Camera d’Or, an award for first-time filmmakers, went to “Party Girl,” a portrait of a 60-year-old nightclub hostess by a trio of directors: Marie Amachoukeli, Claire Burger and Samuel Theis.
Most surprisingly absent from Saturday’s awards ceremony was “Two Days, One Night,” the Dardenne brothers’ working-class drama starring Marion Cotillard. The Dardennes have twice before won the Palme d’Or (no one has ever won three).
The ceremony marked the final festival for longtime Cannes President Gilles Jacob, who received a standing ovation. Following the awards, Tarantino introduced a 50th anniversary screening of Sergio Leone’s “A Fistful of Dollars.”
All the winners:
Competition
FEATURE FILMS
Palme d’Or
WINTER SLEEP Directed by Nuri Bilge CEYLAN
Grand Prix
LE MERAVIGLIE (THE WONDERS) Directed by Alice ROHRWACHER
Award for Best Director
Bennett MILLER for FOXCATCHER
Award for Best Screenplay
Andrey ZVYAGINTSEV for LEVIATHAN, Oleg NEGIN for LEVIATHAN
Award for Best Actress
Julianne MOORE in MAPS TO THE STARS Directed by David CRONENBERG
Award for Best Actor
Timothy SPALL in MR. TURNER Directed by Mike LEIGH
Jury Prize
MOMMY Directed by Xavier DOLAN
ADIEU AU LANGAGE (GOODBYE TO LANGUAGE) Directed by Jean-Luc GODARD
SHORT FILMS
Palme d’Or – Short Film
LEIDI Directed by Simón MESA SOTO
Short Film Special Distinction
AÏSSA Directed by Clément TREHIN-LALANNE
JA VI ELSKER (YES WE LOVE) Directed by Hallvar WITZØ
Un Certain Regard
Prize of Un Certain Regard
FEHÉR ISTEN (WHITE GOD) Directed by Kornél MUNDRUCZÓ
Jury Prize – Un Certain Regard
TURIST Directed by Ruben ÖSTLUND
Un Certain Regard Special Prize
THE SALT OF THE EARTH Directed by Wim WENDERS, Juliano RIBEIRO SALGADO
Ensemble Prize
PARTY GIRL Directed by Claire BURGER, Samuel THEIS, Marie AMACHOUKELI
Prize of the best actor
David GULPILIL in CHARLIE’S COUNTRY Directed by Rolf DE HEER
Cinefondation
1st Prize Cinéfondation
SKUNK Directed by Annie SILVERSTEIN
2nd Prize Cinéfondation
OH LUCY! Directed by Atsuko HIRAYANAGI
3rd Prize Cinéfondation Ex-aequo
LIEVITO MADRE (SOURDOUGH) Directed by Fulvio RISULEO
THE BIGGER PICTURE Directed by DAISY JACOBS
Caméra d’or
PARTY GIRL Directed by Samuel THEIS, Claire BURGER, Marie AMACHOUKELI
