This is called a spectacular “fall”. With Anatomy of a fall, the French Justine Triet became this Saturday, May 27 the third director rewarded with the Palme d’Or in the history of the Cannes Film Festival. The film recounts the fall of a man, of a couple, of a whole life and above all of our certainties. The two African filmmakers in the running left without price. Despite everything, African cinema emerges strengthened from this 2023 edition of the largest film festival in the world.
She took a few minutes to understand, shook her head, unable to realize what was happening to her. Encouraged by the applause of the prestigious public in the Grand Théâtre Lumière, Justine Triet finally said a few words : “ It’s the most intimate film I’ve ever written. “Just before, the American actress Jane Fonda had told her first in Cannes, in 1963. At the time, no director appeared on the horizon, and especially “ no one had noticed, it was normal “. After the first Palme d’or for the New Zealander Jane Campion in 1993 and the second for the Frenchwoman Julia Ducournau in 2021, Justine Triet’s award is a resounding confirmation of the profound evolution of Cannes, especially since the Festival has with an equal jury of men and women.
The obsession with a fall
“ From the start, I was obsessed with the idea of a man falling », had confided to us Justine Triet. Her crowned work is the one where she felt “ the freest “. Anatomy of a fall proves brilliant in its ability to interrogate realities and the male-female relationship through a new cinematic language linking the precision of technique and science with the power of the senses and emotions.
The film tells the story of a couple, with an almost blind son, who lives far from everything in the mountains. One day, the husband is found dead. And it is from there that all avenues open up, and we drift towards realities destroying our certainties one by one. Composed like a long interrogation, the film is a succession of scenes where the characters are questioned, and there too the verticality and the fall are omnipresent in the often hierarchical relationships.
Justine Triet, a filmmaker and a committed feminist
Born in 1978 in Fécamp, the director of Victoria And Sybil surprised us once again with her original way of establishing herself as a committed feminist who loves to populate her films with electric, explosive, powerful women. For Triet, it was obvious to bring his main actress on stage. Because the German Sandra Hüller majestically embodies her disturbing role and writes tailor-made for her. She, the widow, will be the accused, forced to defend not only her actions, but also her very free way of thinking and living. “ Sandra Hüller made me fantasize about this film. Thank you for allowing me to inhabit your brain, your body. »
But the Palme d’Or did not want to content itself with expressing only its joy. In a very political speechand in line with her support for Adèle Haenel, she recalled “ the historic challenge to pension reform and lambasted that “ vsThis protest was shockingly denied and repressed ” by a “ neo-liberal government “.
The breakthrough of African filmmakers
This Saturday, Banel and Adama of the Franco-Senegalese Ramata-Toulaye Sy, nor Olfa’s daughters of the Tunisian Kaouther Ben Hania, both in the running for the Palme d’Or have been rewarded. And the four African directors in the running for the Best first film, the Golden Camera, also remained without prizes during this ceremony. Paradoxically, for African cinema, the year 2023 will still be remembered as a historic edition. On the one hand because of the record presence of six African films, but there was also the exceptional fact that two African directors were among the nine members of the jury for the Palme d’Or, the Zambian Rungano Nyoni and the Moroccan Maryam Touzani .
And four African filmmakers were awarded in the prestigious Un certain regard section of the official selection. Belgian-Congolese director Baloji won the New Voice award there for his first film Augur (Omen). Goodbye Julia, the cry for peace for a Sudan at war by Sudanese Mohamed Kordofani won the Freedom Prize there. Moroccan Kamal Lazraq was praised for his nocturnal thriller in Casablanca, packs, the Jury Prize. And the Moroccan Asmae El Moudir not only won the Directing prize for Kadib Abyad (The mother of all lies)but also – with Olfa’s Daughters by Tunisian Kaouther Ben Hania – the Golden Eye prize for best documentary. A new generation of very promising directors for the years to come.
The closing ceremony of the 76th edition of the Cannes Film Festival in pictures:
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Cannes Film Festival winners – Listen again to the special edition
27.05.23 Special Cannes Direct
The winners of the 76th edition of Cannes
- At 67, the Japanese Koji Yakucho receives the Best Actor Award for her role in the film Perfect Days by Wim Wenders.
THE best actress award is awarded to Turkish actress Merve Dizdar for her role in Dried herbs by Nuri Bilge Ceylan.
The Golden Butterfly Tree who receives the golden camera, the crème de la crème of parallel selection. The debut film by Vietnamese director Pham Thien An, 34, has made a strong impression on critics.
THE Best Screenplay Award returns to Sakomoto Yugi for Monsterby the Japanese Hirokazu Kore-Eda.
THE jury prize back to the movie Dead leaves by Finn Akis Kaurismaki. This award is considered the bronze medal of the prize list.
- It is the French film Tran Anh-Hung which obtains the staging award For The Passion of Dodin-Bouffant. A film with Juliette Binoche and Benoît Magimel.
- THE Grand Jury Prize is assigned to Area of Interest by Jonathan Glazer. The film depicts the family life of Rudolf Höss, commander of Auschwitz, who strives to build a dream life in a house with a garden next to the camp.
► Discover all the news from the Cannes Film Festival 2023