HOLLYWOOD - Going for the "gold" is just as possible in film as it is in the Olympics.Director Roman Polanski would probably agree, anyway. After winning the top award, the Palme d'Or (Golden Palm), at the Cannes Film Festival on Sunday for The Pianist, Polanski said he was "honored and moved."
The film, about a Polish piano player who escaped deportation during World War II, competed against 22 feature-length films from 15 countries in genres ranging from comedy to documentary. The Pianist's drama seemed to impress the jury the most.
Jury president David Lynch (Mulholland Drive) said on behalf of his eight-member team at the closing ceremony, "There are not enough prizes available to reflect all our desires, yet we as a jury feel very good with our final choices."
Sharon Stone (Basic Instinct) and Bond girl Michelle Yeoh were also members of the jury.
Here is the complete winners' list:
Palm d'Or: The Pianist Grand Prize of the Jury: The Man Without a Past Jury Prize: Divine Intervention 55th Anniversary Prize: Michael Moore (Bowling for Columbine) Best actress: Katie Outinen in The Man Without a Past Best actor: Olivier Gourmet in The Son Best directors: Paul Thomas Anderson (Punch Drunk Love) and Kwon-taek Im (Chihwaseon) Best screenplay: Sweet Sixteen Palm d'Or for a short film: Eso utan, directed by Peter Maszaros Grand Jury Prize for a short film: The Stone of Folly, directed by Jesse Rosensweet and Manish Jha