The 77th Cannes Film Festival has wrapped up with the prestigious Palme d’Or award being bestowed to Sean Baker’s critically acclaimed comedy Anora. Having screened midway through the festival, the film – an edgy retake on the classic Pretty Woman – elicited whoops of excitement during its press screening and red-carpet release.
The movie features the captivating Mikey Madison as a sex worker who gets wedded to a Russian patron, leading to chaotic incidents throughout New York City. New Jersey’s Baker appeared astonished to receive the honour from veteran George Lucas.
Baker advocated for preserving the cherished tradition of cinema, stating filmmakers must strive to keep it alive. He emphasized the importance of producing movies for theatre screenings, rejecting the casual distractions of watching films at home. Baker maintained the communal experience of watching a film in a cinema far surpasses that of tech companies’ suggested comfort of domestic viewings.
Additionally, the 2024 festival was noted for an exceptional surge in local activity. Five features in the main selection were of Irish origin or joint productions. Among them, one secured an award. A notable mention is Jesse Plemons’s enactment in Kinds of Kindness – a cooperation between Dublin’s Element Pictures and Yorgos Lanthimos – for which he scooped the best actor award. However, Plemons, who portrayed three characters in this eccentric triptych, was absent from the hall to accept his prize.
The jury led by Greta Gerwig made a commendable effort to judiciously distribute recognition in 2024. Traditionally, there tends to be a standout film that goes unnoticed, however, that year, every well received film received an award. Mohammad Rasoulof, an Iranian director, received a “special award” for his massive political thriller, “The Seed of the Sacred Fig”. Despite being sentenced to eight years of imprisonment, fines and corporal punishment by the Islamic Republic, Rasoulof escaped his homeland and delivered a heartfelt speech at the award ceremony.
He seized the moment to highlight the plight of artists, academics, and filmmakers imprisoned in Iran, and specifically pointed out Toomaj Salehi, a rapper facing a death sentence for his protest music.
“Emilia Perez”, a daring musical in which a Mexican drug lord transitions from male to female, directed by Jacques Audiard, outshone the rest by securing more than one award. The film was a huge hit and awarded the Jury Prize (akin to a bronze medal) and also scooped up the best actress award. Interestingly, this particular accolade didn’t just go to one actor, but four: Adriana Paz, Zoe Saldaña, Karla Sofía Gascón, and Selena Gomez. Gascón, a trans artist from Argentina, delivered an inspiring speech upon receiving the award. The decision was taken as the jury remarked that splitting them up would dilute the collective magic they conjured on screen. It’s not unprecedented, as in 2006, the best actress award was given to a sextet for their performance inn Pedro Almodóvar’s Volver.
The second place or the Grand Prix fell into the lap of Payal Kapadia’s “All We Imagine as Light”, a heartfelt and visually stunning film about a nurse in Mumbai. The youthful director thanked the Cannes film festival for their inclusion and encouraged them to not wait another 30 years to feature an Indian film in competition, as had been the case.
In a somewhat surprising turn of events, Coralie Fargeat’s thrillingly gruesome body horror film, ‘The Substance’ emerged as a sensation at the festival. The film starring Demi Moore, who portrays an actress that succumbs to chaos after undergoing a strange anti-ageing treatment, surprisingly scooped the best screenplay award. Despite it being considered a possible contender, few had predicted this outcome which will undoubtedly be welcome news to the team.
In a peculiar twist of events, Francis Ford Coppola teamed up with George Lucas to present the prestigious Palme d’Or award. It was unusual considering Coppola’s film ‘Megalopolis’, which was screened during the first week, received lukewarm responses and wasn’t perceived as a frontrunner for the award. This marked the first time a potential recipient was involved in awarding a prize he was concurrently competing for.
This only happens in Cannes.
Below is the complete list of awardees at the 77th edition of the esteemed Cannes film festival:
The prominent Palme d’Or award went to ‘Anora’, directed by Sean Baker. The Grand Prix was awarded to ‘All We Imagine as Light’, directed by Payal Kapadia. The Jury Prize was taken by ‘Emilia Pérez’, directed by Jacques Audiard. ‘Grand Tour’ earned Miguel Gomes the Best Director accolade. ‘The Seed of the Sacred Fig’, directed by Mohammad Rasoulof, was recognised with the Special Award.
Jesse Plemons won the Best Performance by an Actor award for his role in ‘Kinds of Kindness’, while the Best Performance by an Actress award was shared by Adriana Paz, Zoe Saldaña, Karla Sofía Gascón, and Selena Gomez for their collective performance in ‘Emilia Pérez’. ‘The Substance’, yet again making its mark, was acknowledged with the Best Screenplay award.