For the past week, I’ve been observing the annual Cannes Film Festival from afar, content to experience it via Twitter and the blogs of critics I admire. Although I doubt I’ll ever actually get to attend, I love the anticipation it builds for films that may or may not get to us here in Toronto at TIFF each fall.
On the festival’s web site, I always head straight to the press pages where I grab all the press kits I can find. Although press kits are straight-up marketing and make every film sound like a masterpiece, they’re the best way to get a synopsis and a look at some images. Combined with some smart criticism from sites like Indiewire (@indiewire on Twitter) and individual critics like James Rocchi (@jamesrocchi), Spout’s Karina Longworth (@KarinaLongworth), Variety’s Anne Thompson (@akstanwyck), and IFC’s Alison Willmore (@alisonwillmore), I almost feel like I was there. And I didn’t need to buy a tuxedo either.
(UPDATE: 5/24/09): Just thought I’d post some of the award winners here for future reference.
- Palme d’Or: Das Weiße Band (The White Ribbon) (Director: Michael Haneke)
- Grand Prix (Runner-up): Un prophète (A Prophet) (Director: Jacques Audiard)
- Prix Exceptional du Jury: Les Herbes Folles (Wild Grass) (Director: Alain Resnais)
- Prix du Jury: Fish Tank (Director: Andrea Arnold) and Thirst (Director: Park Chan-wook)
- Camera d’Or (Best First Film): Samson and Delilah (Director: Warwick Thornton)
- Un Certain Regard: Kynodontas (Dogtooth) (Director: Yorgos Lanthimos)
- Director’s Fortnight: J’ai tue ma mere (I Killed My Mother) (Director: Xavier Dolan)
- Palme d’Or (Short): Arena (Director: João Salaviza)
- FIPRESCI Critics’ Prize: Das Weiße Band (The White Ribbon) (Director: Michael Haneke)