Swedish satire on super-rich wins Cannes Palme d'Or
"Triangle of Sadness", a sharp satire about class conflict by Swedish director Ruben Ostlund, won the Palme d'Or for Best Picture at the Cannes Film Festival on Saturday.
Issued on:
"Triangle of Sadness" puts Ostlund among a select group of two-time winners of Cannes' top prize.
He won the Palme d'Or in 2017 for "The Square", poking fun at the contemporary art world.
This time he took his scalpel to bourgeois niceties, hitting out at fashion models and the super-rich, who find their status suddenly undermined when disaster strikes a cruise ship.
An extended sequence of projectile vomiting and violent diarrhoea on the ship got everyone talking about the film early on and divided the critics.
"When we started to make this film I think we had one goal – to really, really try to make an exciting film for the audience and bring thought-provoking content," Ostlund said as he accepted the coveted award.
"We wanted to entertain them, we wanted them to ask themselves questions, we wanted them to after the screening go out and have something to talk about," he added.
French actor Vincent Lindon, who led the nine-strong jury, said they had struggled to agree on a winner but "the entire jury was extremely shocked" by "Triangle of Sadness".
Prizes made for sharing
The runner-up Grand prix was split between 32-year-old Belgian Lukas Dhont and French veteran Claire Denis.
Dhont's "Close", a portrait of two boys facing bullying as they grapple with their sexuality, explores friendship and masculinity, while Denis won for "Stars at Noon", a love story set against political tensions in Central America.
The third-place jury prize was shared between "The Eight Mountains" by Belgian directors Felix Van Groeningen and Charlotte Vandermeersch and "EO" by 84-year-old Polish director Jerzy Skolimowski, which is told entirely through the eyes of a donkey.
"Thank you, my donkeys," said Skolimowski, in his acceptance speech.
It was a strong night for Asian cinema with best director going to South Korea's Park Chan-wook won the best director prize for his romantic thriller "Decision to Leave".
The best actor award went to South Korean star Song Kang-ho for his role in the adoption drama "Broker" by Japan's Hirokazu Kore-eda.
Message for Iranian women
Iranian Zar Amir Ebrahimi won the best actress award for her role as a journalist tracking a serial killer in "Holy Spider".
"I have come a long way to be on this stage tonight," said the actress, forced to flee her country 16 years ago following a smear campaign over her love life and who now lives in Paris.
"This film is about women, it's about their bodies, it's a movie full of faces, hair, hands, feet, breasts, sex – everything that is impossible to show in Iran," she said. "Maybe having me here tonight is just a message – especially for women, Iranian women."
French actress Carole Bouquet announced a surprise 75th anniversary prize to mark the festival's birthday. It went to Belgian directing brothers Jean-Pierre Dardenne and Luc Dardenne for "Tori and Lokita."
In a crowd-pleasing twist, Elvis Presley's granddaughter Riley Keough won the Camera d'Or, the prize for best film, for "War Pony" with co-director Gina Gammell.
Read the full list of awards here
Daily newsletterReceive essential international news every morning
Subscribe