Now that the curtain has drawn on the 70th Cannes International Film Festival, let's take a look at some of this years most impressive highlights and winners. As ever it was the glitz and glamour that kicked off this years event - the typical paparazzi scrum for the best (and worst) pictures for the fashion pages. Back in the light of day, there seemed to be even more super-yachts than usual squeezed into the gorgeous harbor, as nowadays Cannes is a seriously A-list event. Even is the megastars may not have been flocking to the premier of the world's first ever Virtual Reality movie, it's certainly the place to be seen.
Monaco may be the more fabled Mediterranean casino town, but you can bet the local tables were abuzz with celebrity spenders saving their Borgata Casino bonus spins for after they've departed this enchanting town. So who were the big winners of this years Cannes festival? Let's take a lowdown.
Palme d’Or -The Square (dir: Ruben Östlund)
This years top film was inspired by director Östlund's own travails when attempting to install public artwork and is set in Gothenburg, Stockholm and Berlin. The satire is set in a counterfactual modern day when the Swedish monarchy has been abolished and their palace converted into a controversial art gallery. A disastrous PR firm is hired to deal with the murmurs of discontent, leading to all sorts of chaos and high jinx. Now set for a much wider international release, it's a must see movie and a great example of the rather uniquely dark Scandinavian sense of humor.
70th Anniversary Prize -Nicole Kidman
You may not hear a great deal about Kidman nowadays but the former blockbuster starlet has rather reinvented herself over the last decade or so. Now a major player in art-house and experimental film making, many of which are funded and produced by European studios, she's still making a great deal of critically acclaimed movies. She's featured in a stagger 9 roles in the last two years with more to come, so this award is no surprise and a well earned addition to a glittering mantelpiece
Grand Prix -120 Beats per Minute (dir: Robin Campillo)
When most people asked which was the last great movie concerning the HIV/AIDs epidemic most people would opt for Dallas Buyers Club. However this French movie raises similar issues, and arguably delivers them with an even more shocking oomph. Focusing upon a Parisian AIDs support community in the early 1990's, this heartfelt and staggeringly powerful movie was written by a survivor from the time, adding even greater realism to the tragedy - and resilience - of an otherwise little known group outside of France.
Best Director -Sofia Coppola, The Beguiled
Coppola became only the second female winner in this category, with her US produced slow-burning drama being a powerful and beautifully told story. Always able to get the best from her stars (including Kidman incidentally) this movie set for release in late June 2017 looks set to make short work of it's mere $10m budget.
Best Actor -Joaquin Phoenix, You Were Never Really Here (dir: Lynne Ramsay)
A fully bearded Phoenix takes on the role of a freelance gun for hire - with a conscience - as he seeks to save a young girl being sold into sex slavery. If it sounds a little like a familiar movie series starring Liam Neeson don't be fooled. While the body count is indeed significant, the dark brutality of this movie features an underlying series of questions regarding power and gender that are never truly explained.
Best Actress -Diane Kruger, In the Fade (dir: Fatih Akin)
Arguably Kruger's best performance yet in an already glittering career, this German thriller features her in remarkably also her first German language role. Taking on the role of an inwardly tortured woman whose Kurdish born husband has been suspiciously killed, her powerful performance brings to light very real emotions of what it means to be stable - and when revenge may be the only option of recourse.