Cannes: French immigration drama "Dheepan" wins top prize
"Dheepan," Jacques Audiard's spiritual drama about displaced Sri Lankans who pretend to be a family in order to emigrate to France, was named best film at the Cannes Film Festival.
Audiard's previous films include 2010's "A Prophet" (an Oscar-nominee for Best Foreign Language Film), "Rust and Bone," and "The Beat That My Heart Skipped."
Rooney Mara, whose character begins a romantic relationship with another woman (played by Cate Blanchett) in Todd Haynes' '50s lesbian drama, "Carol," shared the Best Actress award with Emmanuelle Bercot, as a woman in a tempestuous marriage in "Mon Roi."
Haynes, accepting Mara's award on her behalf, praised his cast: "I'm a very lucky director," he said.
Vincent Lindon was a popular choice for the Best Actor award for "The Measure of a Man (La Loi du Marche)," Stephane Brize's documentary-style drama of a man struggling to keep himself and his family afloat after losing his job.
Best Director was awarded to Taiwan's Hou Hsiao-Hsien for "The Assassin," about a 9th-century woman trained in the lethal martial arts.
The second-place Grand Prix went to "Son of Saul," first-time director Laszlo Nemes' Holocaust drama, about a prisoner at Auschwitz who serves as a custodian in the killing chambers.
The Jury Prize (or third place award) was won by Greek writer-director Yorgos Lanthumos' "Lobster," a fable in which people who do not have a mate are turned into animals.
The Best Screenplay ward went to writer-director Michel Franco for "Chronic," the story of a palliative care health worker (Tim Roth).
Prizes were announced at the festival's closing ceremony on Sunday. The yury, headed by the American directing team of Joel and Ethan Coen, included the actors Xavier Dolan, Jake Gyllenhaal, Rossy de Palma, Sophie Marceau and Sienna Miller, singer Rokia Traoré, and director Guillermo del Toro.
The prize for Best First Feature went to Colombian director Cesar Acevedo's "La Tierra y la Sombre."
The short film award went to "Waves '98," directed by Ely Dagher.
Filmmaker Agnes Varda also received an honorary award.