Cannes Awards: ‘Anatomy of a Fall’ Takes Palme d’Or, ‘The Zone of Interest’ and ‘The Pot au Feu’ Among Winners

A year after collecting his second Palme dOr for Triangle of Sadness, Ruben stlund bestowed the same honor to Justine Triets Anatomy of a Fall, a thought-provoking legal drama which purports to investigate the guilt or innocence of a popular novelist (Sandra Hller), accused of murdering her husband. But the film is every bit as much an inquest into their marriage, bringing private details from the couples personal life into the courtroom for the press, public and audience to dissect, as if under a microscope.

Triet is only the third woman to win the Palme dOr (after Jane Campion for The Piano and Titane helmer Julia Ducournau, who joined stlund on the jury this year). The prize was presented by Jane Fonda, who remarked on how far Cannes has come setting a record for female representation, with seven woman helmers in competition this year since the American star first attended. In accepting the award, Triet made a point of acknowledging the protests against French pension reform, which were forbidden from the festival.

Ducournau presented the Grand Prix to The Zone of Interest by Jonathan Glazer. An adaptation of the World War 2 novel by Martin Amis (who passed away during the festival), the haunting film depicts the private life of the German commandant (Christian Friedel) responsible for executing countless Jews at Auschwitz. The film leaves those horrors largely off-screen, while focusing on the officer and his wife (Sandra Hller), asking audiences to consider the morality of the perpetrators.

The best actor award went to Kji Yakusho, who plays a working-class Tokyo man in Wim Wenders Perfect Days. The character spends his mornings cleaning public toilets around the city, while leaving himself free time to read books, raise trees and observe the people around him. The best actress prize took the room by surprise, honoring Turkish actor Merve Dizdar for her role as a rural school teacher who challenges the self-centered male protagonist in Nuri Bilge Ceylans long and philosophical About Dry Grasses.

Sakamoto Yji won the screenplay prize for Monster, while Finnish director Aki Kaurismaki took the Jury Prize for Fallen Leaves, a seemingly timeless love story between two strangers struggling to keep their jobs, forced into the present by radio dispatches from the war in Ukraine.

Directing honors went to Tran Anh Hung for The Pot au Feu. Set in 19th-century France, the mouthwatering feature focuses on the shared passion between a celebrated gourmet (Benot Magimel) and his cook (Juliette Binoche) of nearly 20 years, which extends from the kitchen to their personal lives. In accepting the prize, the director thanked his wife, then corrected himself, identifying her as his cook instead.

stlund is co-presented the awards with fellow jurors Paul Dano and Brie Larson, Moroccan director Maryam Touzani, French actor Denis Mnochet, British-Zambian writer-director Rungano Nyoni, Afghan author Atiq Rahimi, Argentinian writer-director Damin Szifrn and French director Ducournau.

A separate jury decides the Camera dOr prize for best first feature. That award went to Vietnamese director Thien An Phams three-hour art film Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell, which premiered in the Directors Fortnight section.

Full list of prizes below.

COMPETITION Palme dOr: Anatomy of a Fall, Justine Triet

Grand Prix: The Zone of Interest, Jonathan Glazer

Director: Tran Anh Hung, The Pot au Feu

Actor: Kji Yakusho, Perfect Days

Actress: Merve Dizdar, About Dry Grasses

Jury Prize: Fallen Leaves, Aki Kaurismaki

Screenplay: Sakamoto Yji, Monster

OTHER PRIZES Camera dOr: Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell, Thien An Pham

Short Films Palme dOr: 27, Flra Anna Buda.

Short Films Special Mention: Fr, Gunnur Martinsdttir Schlter

Golden Eye Documentary Prize: TBA

Queer Palm: Monster

UN CERTAIN REGARD Un Certain Regard Award: How to Have Sex, Molly Manning Walker

Jury Prize: Hounds, Kamal Lazraq

Best Director Prize: The Mother of All Lies, Asmae El Moudir

Freedom Prize: Goodbye Julia, Mohamed Kordofani

Ensemble Prize: The Buriti Flower, Joo Salaviza, Rene Nader Messora, cast and crew

New Voice Prize: Omen, Baloji

DIRECTORS FORTNIGHT Europa Cinemas Label: Creatura, Elena Martn

Society of Dramatic Authors and Composers Prize: A Prince, Pierre Creton

CRITICS WEEK Grand Prize: Tiger Stripes, Amanda Nell Eu

French Touch Prize: Its raining in the house, Paloma Sermon-Da

GAN Foundation Award for Distribution: Pyramide Films, Inshallah a boy

Louis Roederer Foundation Rising Star Award: Jovan Gini, Lost Country