French film 'Dheepan' wins Cannes' Palme D'Or
A film starring a Tamil former child soldier has picked up the top prize at Cannes this year, crowning a good night for French cinema.
Dheepan, directed by Jacques Audiard, took the Palme D'Or at the 68th Cannes International Film Festival on Sunday, while Frenchman Vincent Lindon won the best male actor, and his countrywoman Emmanuelle Bercot shared best female actor with the US' Rooney Mara.
The winning film, which focuses on the lives of Tamils seeking refuge from Sri Lanka's bloody civil war in France, stars Anthonythasan Jesuthasan, who fought for the Tamil Tigers as a teenager before escaping to France himself on a forged passport - mirroring the movie's plot.
He admitted that his character was half autobiographical.
"I came to France because at the time I was able to only find a fake French passport and not a fake British or Canadian passport," he said.
Australian hope Cate Blanchett went home empty-handed, despite critical praise for her performance as a wealthy woman who falls in love with a shopgirl in the lesbian romance "Carol".
Nevertheless, critics have been underwhelmed by this year's winners.
"It's extremely disappointing, nobody seems happy," Jay Weissberg, European-based critic for trade publication Variety, said.
"It's an anti-climactic finish to a festival that was middling to begin with."
Ethan Coen, who along with his brother Joel served as co-president of the jury, defended the jury's choices, especially the Palme d'Or winner.
"Everybody had an enthusiasm for it, to some degree or another we all thought it was a very beautiful movie," he told a press conference.
The winners:
Jacques Audiard - Palme d`Or (Dheepan)
Vincent Lindon - best male actor (La Loi du Marche)
Emmanuelle Bercot - best female actor (Mon Roi)
Rooney Mara - best female actor (Carol)
Hou Hsiao Sien - best director (Nie Yianniang)
Lazlo Nemes - Grand Prix Jury (Saul Fia)
Yorgos Lanthimos - Jury Prize (The Lobster)
Michel Franco - best screenplay (Chronic)