Gerwig said the jury recognized “Anora” as an “incredibly human film.” It is a movie that “touched our hearts, made us laugh, gave us endless hope, broke our hearts and never lost sight of the truth”.
“Anora” is about strip dancer Ani, who meets Vanya, the son of a Russian oligarch in New York. Due to his youthful indiscretions, the boy marries Ani a few days later – much to the dismay of his parents, who do everything they can to change this. At the center is Ani (Mikey Madison), who confidently pursues her goals. The fast-paced film impresses with its great cast, unexpected twists and lots of humor.
After news of the wedding reaches Vanya’s parents, who live in Russia, they instruct their local assistants to cancel the wedding. A helpless trio of three appeared on Vanya’s property – and he piled up. As Ani and Ani try to catch him again, all sorts of funny situations arise.
Baker dedicated the film to “all sex workers” on Saturday night. She hopes her films will help reduce the stigma surrounding sex work. Speaking on stage, the 53-year-old said of his award: “This has been my only goal as a filmmaker for the last 30 years. So I don’t know what I’m going to do with the rest of my life.
Iranian director Mohammad Rasulof won the Special Jury Prize for “The Seed of the Sacred Fig.” But the biggest achievement was accepting his award in person. Rasuloff was recently sentenced to several years in prison. A few days ago he escaped from Iran to Germany, and on Friday he arrived at the premiere of his film in Cannes. While Iranian authorities were determined to block the release of his new film, Rasuloff praised it at Cannes.
The film is set in the fall of 2022, when the death of Zina Mahsa Amini, an Iranian Kurdish woman, has sparked massive protests in Iran. At the center is a family whose members react very differently to protests.
The second most important award of the festival, the Grand Jury Prize, went to Indian director Payal Kapadia’s film “All We Imagine as Light”. The 38-year-old film follows several women as they try to navigate their daily lives in Mumbai and bond with each other along the way.
Frenchman Jacques Audiard received the Jury Prize for “Emilia Perez”. The musical tells the story of a Mexican cartel boss who changes his gender to female and tries to atone for past crimes.
This year, the award for best actress was shared by four women: it was awarded to actresses Carla Sofia Gascon, Zoe Saldana, Selena Gomez and Adriana Paz for their performance in “Emilia Perez”. Gascon is the first transgender person to receive the award. “This award is not just for me, but for all the people who are fighting for themselves and their rights,” the 52-year-old said.
Jesse Plemons won Best Actor for his performance in Georgios Lanthimos’ “Kinds of Kindness.” Miguel Gomez won Best Director for “The Grand Tour.”
Corali Fargeat was honored for best screenplay for “The Substance.” Her body horror film, starring Demi Moore, is about the devastating consequences of an obsession with beauty.
“Star Wars” creator George Lucas was awarded the Golden Palm of Honor. An old friend and another cinematic experience graced the stage: Francis Ford Coppola, whose new film competed at the film festival. Coppola said that not only he and many of Lucas’ friends, but the entire world are proud to honor him. Lucas once again called Coppola “a great friend, a brother and a mentor.”
There is no Austrian film in the running for this year’s Palme d’Or. However, young Austrian director Mo Haraway’s film “The Village Next to Paradise” was up for the award in the prestigious “Un Certain Record” category. A story about a family in Somalia set against the backdrop of difficult everyday life in this East African country, the script was also attributed to Haraway, an autograph artist born in Mogadishu who later fled to Austria – however, it was empty. The award ceremony was held last Friday evening.
