Cannes 2024: The Prizewinners You'll Be Hearing About For The Rest of The Year
Stephen David Miller concludes his festival coverage with thoughts on the Closing Ceremony and Jury Awards.
This is Stephen David Miller’s final entry about the 2024 Cannes Film Festival. Stephen has added so much to Decoding Everything with this coverage and I hope you’ll consider checking out his podcast, The Spoiler Warning. -David Chen
Bonjour, Decoding Everything readers! I’m back with the fifth and final installment of our coverage of the 2024 Cannes Film Festival. With each update thus far, I’ve given a deep dive on a specific red carpet premiere (Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, Megalopolis, Horizon: An American Saga, Anora) while offering tidbits about the broader festival and its selection along the way. Today I’m sticking to that formula, with one minor wrinkle. Rather than recap a buzzy premiere, I’ll be sharing my thoughts on the final red carpet event of the festival: the Closing Ceremony, which took place this Saturday evening.
As the ceremony implies, the festival has officially wrapped, and that’s always a bittersweet feeling for me. After 12 days of grueling logistics, it all just disappears overnight. The frenzied crowds, the bleary-eyed screenings, the jigsaw puzzle of an uncertain schedule that sends my brain cycling through showtimes and titles and theater locations like a sleep-deprived, French Moviefone — all of those things which consumed me for weeks are now discarded, tucked away like a tux in checked luggage. Emptied and exhausted, I find myself wondering, “What was all of that chaos for?”
Because this year, like every year, saw no shortage of chaos. In the end I was able to catch 34 films premiering at Cannes, including all 22 titles in the official competition. For the vast majority of those screenings, I didn’t know if I’d be able to get in until hours before showtime. In the midst of that uncertainty, I’d often find myself resenting the pomp and circumstance of this festival: the army of paparazzi you wade through as you hope to nab a ticket, the rigid hierarchy which somehow puts movie-lovers last, the vapid rich bros who amass giant stacks of tickets only to snap a photo on the carpet and leave halfway through each film. Surely my local Alamo Drafthouse was a better option than this!
But as silly and superficial as the whole endeavor may be, it’s that grandeur that makes Cannes so inspiring. Every year, thousands of people choose to fly in from all across the globe, dressed to the nines in the Mediterranean sun for the mere privilege of watching a movie. And that applies to more than just the buzzy, star-driven vehicles. From first-time directors to arthouse auteurs, everybody’s film, whatever the context, is met with the same deafening hype. For all the tiring and performative aspects of that hype, it’s also a beautiful thing to be a part of. After all, is there anywhere else on earth so many people would gather to perform in celebration of this?
As I write this from my 11-hour flight back home to San Francisco, I can still feel the glow of that communal celebration. So before we bid adieu with the Closing Ceremony, please join me for a final round of highlights.
Festival Snapshot: World Cinema Highlights
Up until now, my coverage has largely focused on American and European titles. This reflects an unfortunate Euro-centric bias, both in the Cannes lineup and in the broader cinephile culture. But one of the great joys of attending an international festival is that it gives me a chance to expand my horizons, exposing me to incredible works of art from cultures that too often get ignored. With this last snapshot, I’ll briefly highlight four:
Black Dog is one of those screenings I caught on a whim during a gap in my schedule, and I’m so glad I happened upon it. Hu Guan’s film is a heartwarming drama about a former-convict (Eddie Peng) living in a remote desert town in China, who stumbles upon a stray dog and tries to catch it for reward money. As the two misunderstood souls soften towards one another over the course of the film, it becomes both a story about empathy and a commentary on how it feels to be discarded by society and its unfeeling bureaucracies. This won the top prize at the separate Un Certain Regard ceremony, and I couldn’t be happier for it.
Another Un Certain Regard film that moved me was Mo Harawe’s The Village Next To Paradise. The first Somali film ever to be selected for inclusion at Cannes, this haunting family drama centers around a single father (Ahmed Ali Farah), his young son (Ahmed Mohamud Saleban), and his recently-divorced sister (Anab Ahmed Ibrahim) as they go about their day-to-day lives in a village that’s under the constant threat of drone strikes. As with many films this year, this one functions both as a personal story and a piercing social commentary, highlighting the ways in which violent unrest and deadly Western interventions have stifled opportunity for the country’s working class. I found it eye-opening and deeply affecting.
Here’s a damning statistic for you: Until All We Imagine As Light premiered this past Thursday, it had been a full 30 years since an Indian film was selected for Official Competition at Cannes. That’s almost as long as it took to make Megalopolis! I was blown away by director Payal Kapadia’s 2021 docu-fiction A Night Of Knowing Nothing, and couldn’t wait to see what she would do with her feature debut. Though she heavily shifted gears, she didn’t disappoint: All We Imagine As Light is a stirring, feminist portrait of modern life in Mumbai. The film follows two women, both working as nurses: Prabha (Kani Kusruti) who is married but hasn’t seen her husband in years, and her younger roommate Anu (Divya Prabha), who is dating in secret. Sensitively acted and evocatively shot, it’s an artful meditation on the way social conservatism can pit women against women, and the importance of clinging to even impossible hope.
The single most powerful experience I had at Cannes was attending the premiere of Mohammad Rasoulof’s The Seed of the Sacred Fig. When the Iranian director’s film was first selected for competition, the government sentenced him to eight years in prison in an attempt to force him to withdraw it. He refused, fleeing Iran in secret along with members of his cast and crew. As he entered the Grand Théâtre Lumière this Friday to rapturous applause, he held up photos of two of his principal actors, Missagh Zareh and Soheila Golestani—at least one of whom has reportedly been arrested by the secret police. Needless to say, his very attendance was a courageous act of protest, and an intensely emotional thing to witness. The film, too, is steeped in that spirit of protest. A tense psychological thriller about a man who becomes a judge for Tehran’s Revolutionary Court just as protests break out in the city, the film uses the dynamics between the judge (Zareh), his largely-supportive wife (Golestani), and his two questioning daughters (Mahsa Rostami and Setareh Maleki) to explore the way a culture of paranoia can be used to organically suppress freedom of thought and expression. Alongside the scripted narrative, Rasoulof splices in news reports and social media footage of police brutality to underline his message. This would be a profound work of art even if it were entirely fictional; as an act of resistance, it’s breathtaking.
And with that, it’s time to take one final stroll down the carpet.
One Last Walk Down The Carpet
Although Cannes is a 12-day affair, it’s really structured as a 10-day festival bookended by two evening galas, the Opening and Closing Ceremonies. With the Opening Ceremony, we’re formally introduced to this year’s Jury before kicking off a screening of the Opening Film. In the Closing Ceremony, the Jury then reveals the results of their 10-day deliberation: an array of prizes, culminating in the prestigious Palme d’Or.
Since my coverage began, I had a goal of framing this final update around the Closing Ceremony. There was only one problem: the Closing Ceremony is arguably the single most difficult ticket to nab as a layperson. After all, it’s the only major event that happens on the last day of the festival, it doesn’t demand the attention span of a feature-length film, and it’s guaranteed to be packed with all manner of celebrity. That means literally thousands of people were laser-focused on the same goal as I was: scoring one final chance to bust out their fanciest evening attire, sneak a selfie on the carpet, and mingle with the stars of the silver screen.
After days of trying and failing to acquire an invitation to the Ceremony, it was now 90 minutes before showtime and I was faced with a choice. Would I throw in the towel, get a head start on packing, and treat myself to a relaxing dinner at one of those glitzy beachside restaurants I often gawked at while standing in line inhaling Steak n’ Shake fries? Or would I dust off the mini dry erase board I use as a sign, throw on my least gross tuxedo, and roam the streets shamelessly begging for a ticket?
Obviously, I went the shameless route. And after a good hour of absorbing jokes and pitying expressions from strangers, I struck gold when a lovely French couple walked up to me and revealed they had a spare ticket they could share via email. They even huddled beside me for 10 minutes—delaying their own entrance to the Ceremony—to work out why their PDF kept failing to send. In an environment where everything feels like a frantic, zero-sum game, this was a welcome reminder of the spirit that makes festivals like this work: the joy of sharing something special with a stranger.
Digital ticket in hand, I gave my lucky sign to the nearest cinephile I could find before racing to the venue. I sped through security one last time, dodged past George Lucas as I sprinted up the red carpet stairs, and found a spot on the balcony with a few minutes left to spare. With my live translation headset firmly affixed, my asthma at least 75% under control, and my suit glistening with a tasteful apéritif of sweat, I was ready for the ceremony to begin.
Closing Ceremony and Jury Awards
When attending the Closing Ceremony, one gets the distinct impression that this is meant to be Cannes’ answer to the Academy Awards. Far from the stuffy formality the thought of an international cinema jury might conjure, this is a truly elaborate production—complete with slickly produced videos, a pump-up emcee, and numerous surprise celebrity guests to help keep the energy at a 10 between speeches.
In honor of the man I nearly barreled into on the stairs, tonight’s ceremony opened with a Star Wars-themed title crawl, narrated by the emcee, which invited us to assemble for an Interstellar Celebration. We dutifully accepted our mission, and they kicked off the awards in earnest.
The first feature film prize of the evening was the Camera d’Or. The Camera d’Or is awarded by a special voting body, to a promising first-time director whose film premiered in one of the festival’s multiple tracks. This year, that honor went to Halfdan Ullmann Tøndel for his Norwegian drama Armand which played in Un Certain Regard. I named Armand as one of my standouts from the festival this year, so I wholeheartedly agree with his selection!
At this point, they brought out the Jury to announce the remainder of the awards. This year’s Jury was chaired by Greta Gerwig, who deliberated alongside J. A. Bayona, Ebru Ceylan, Pierfrancesco Favino, Lily Gladstone, Eva Green, Hirokazu Kore-eda, Nadine Labaki, and Omar Sy. Every award they conferred followed the same format: An invited celebrity guest would introduce the prize, the emcee would throw to a new Jury member to announce the winner, and that winner would be invited on stage for a speech.
Best Screenplay went to Coralie Fargeat for her Demi Moore-starring body horror film, The Substance. The Substance remains one of my favorite films of the festival, so naturally I’m thrilled for Fargeat to receive any award. But because Cannes likes to have a variety of films being honored, a Screenplay win is typically an indicator that no other prizes are forthcoming. Given that context, I was disappointed to hear it mentioned so early in the ceremony.
When asked to name the Best Performance By An Actress, Lily Gladstone declared that women’s voices were too rich and varied to narrow down to one individual this year. Instead, the award would go to the women singing in harmony in Emilia Perez: Karla Sofia Gascón, Zoe Saldaña, Selena Gomez, and Adriana Paz. Gascón accepted the award on her costars’ behalf, giving an impassioned speech about trans rights and representation. Although I was mostly enchanted by Emilia Perez, I did have a few issues with it—particularly in its language around gender, which felt a bit binary/simplistic from my American vantage point. Still, I can’t deny the power of watching a trans actress accept this award on the world stage, especially from a typically slow-moving, gate-keeping institution like Cannes. Ultimately, I think this was an inspired pick by Gerwig’s Jury.
Left to right: 1. Perfect Days star and last year’s Best Actor winner Kōji Yakusho introducing the Best Actress prize; 2. Lily Gladstone awarding it to the cast of Emilia Perez; 3. Karla Sofia Gascón giving her acceptance speech. Photo Credit: Stephen David Miller Best Performance By An Actor went to Jesse Plemons for Kinds of Kindness. I didn’t love Yorgos Lanthimos’ latest quite as much as many critics did, but I singled out Plemons as the MVP for a reason: He’s fantastic, and a worthy winner of this award.
It was then announced that the Jury had chosen to include a surprise Special Jury Award this year, honoring Mohammad Rasoulof’s The Seed of the Sacred Fig. While I understand the logic of using a “Special” prize to raise awareness, I have to say I found this pretty weak: Rasoulof’s film is a potent act of protest and a brilliant work of art, and it deserved far more than an honorary mention. I expected this to win the Palme d’Or outright, and I would have applauded it enthusiastically.
The prize for Best Director was awarded to Miguel Gomes for his film Grand Tour, and I can somewhat see the Jury’s reasoning. A mash-up of documentary footage and hyper-artificial fiction which was filmed across at least a half dozen countries, it’s certainly evidence of a strong artistic vision. But I can’t say it ever went deeper than “thought-provoking” for me: There’s a reason this is the one award-winner that I’ve never mentioned before. This was my only real disappointment of the evening.
The Jury Prize is essentially the 3rd Place award given at Cannes, though they never go and say that outright. This year, J. A. Bayona announced that it was going to Jacques Audiard’s Emilia Perez. As mentioned before, I quite liked the film and am happy for it to be honored. But having already given it the award for Best Actress, I do wish the Jury had chosen to spread the wealth. The Seed of the Sacred Fig was right there!
The Grand Prix, or 2nd Place award, went to Payal Kapadia’s All We Imagine As Light. There’s a reason I slotted this in for today’s Festival Snapshot: It’s a truly lovely film that deserves to be celebrated. After 30 years of Indian cinema being ignored by the Official Selection altogether, it’s refreshing to see Kapadia get such major recognition. I can’t wait to see what she chooses to make next!
After a brief interlude wherein Francis Ford Coppola came out to present his old pal George Lucas with an honorary award, it was time to bestow the top prize of the festival: the Palme d’Or. Lucas threw to Gerwig, who said a few words about why her Jury fell in love with the hilarious, heartbreaking Anora. I adored Sean Baker’s Anora so much, we added an extra entry to this series just so I could praise it. Naturally I was ecstatic—though, I must admit, a bit shocked! The personal, socially-conscious register Baker works in so beautifully feels tailor-made for my American sensibilities. To see a prestigious international body like Cannes agree so forcefully was a welcome surprise, and it speaks volumes about what Baker has accomplished. My hope is that this further raises his profile, giving him a blank check to continue to make more uncompromising, humanistic art.
Left to right: 1. Francis Ford Coppola giving George Lucas an honorary award; 2. Greta Gerwig announcing this year’s Palme d’Or, Anora; 3. Sean Baker, who dedicated his award “to all sex workers past, present, and future.” Photo Credit: Stephen David Miller
—
And that’s a wrap on my 2024 Cannes festival coverage! With these posts, I hope I’ve managed to capture a little bit of what makes Cannes so special: that unique cocktail of exhaustion and adrenaline, chaos and beauty, which always keeps me coming back for more. It’s an experience I cherish every year I’m able to attend, and it has been a true pleasure sharing it with you all. -Stephen David Miller
Stuff David Chen Has Made
If you missed it, be sure to read Stephen’s review of Furiosa: A Mad Max Story. Then watch my video review below, which I recorded with @joyonapping:
Over on Decoding TV this week, we discussed how X-Men ‘97 is the best thing Marvel has made since Avengers: Endgame.
These wrap ups have been an amazing insight into the festival. Thank you!!!
“The nice couple” congratulate you for your very witty comments and for all the additional details we did not know about « the seed of the sacred fig », a film we also thought would win the palme d’or. However we are not so enthusiastic about Anora…Our choice was the « the Ken Lochian » British film « Bird » directed by Andrea Arnold which is set in Gravesend (a Thames estuary town I know very well) . This is a film, by the social atmosphere it depicts, appeals more to a European audience. Our second choice, as French and latin people goes to the very emotional film “Marcello mio” which reminds us of the glorious period (1950’s to 1970’s) of the French/Italian co-produced films.