Access Atlanta > Movies > Blog > Archives > 2005 > May > 21 > Entry
And the winner is…
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
This evening it was time to find out the winners of the festival’s prizes…I only made one unofficial prediction (see: “More Cannes secrets revealed…�) throughout the festival, and that was Tommy Lee Jones as Best Actor for “The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada,� and that was dead on the money. Jones’ film also won for Best Screenplay, which was penned by Guillermo Arriaga.
The “Grand Prix,� which is kind of a misnomer since it is like a silver medal, went to Jim Jarmusch’s “Broken Flowers.� This was kind of funny because Jarmusch had just told me how that he thought prizes for pieces of expression are kind of ridiculous. But they love Jarmusch in Cannes, and undoubtedly, without his successes here, he would have a much harder time making movies.
“I’m speechless, exclaimed Jarmusch. It’s a great honor to accept this prize on behalf of all those who worked on this film. When making a film, all the cast and crew are on equal footing. Thanks to all who made this film possible, especially Bill Murray. Without him, the scenario would never have been written. And I thank this very strange Jury and the Festival who have also welcomed my work here throughout the years, to Thierry Frémaux, and Gilles Jacob who is one of the great gentlemen on the planet.”
He added, “I would also like to say quickly that I do not believe in competition for artistic works. It’s already an honor to be selected in the competition and to be here next such great directors as Atom Egoyan, David Cronenberg, Amos Gitaï, Lars Von Trier, Gus Van Sant, Johnnie To and Mr. Hou Hsiao-Hsien as I am one of his students, Wim Wenders who has been so generous with me when I began making movies 20 years ago and Robert Rodriguez. I accept this award in the name of all filmmakers who follow their heart and make films that interpret their vision. We are part of the same family and it’s an honor to be included in this family.”
The festival’s top prize, the Palme d’Or (or Golden Palm,) went the Dardenne brothers, Jean-Pierre and Luc, for their film “L’Enfant,� (“The Child.�) This didn’t really come as a surprise to many people, considering that the brothers had scored the top prize in 1999 for “Rosetta.� Nevertheless, there were quite a few former Palme d’Or winners in competition.
Permalink | | Categories: Cannes
