Two 2010 Cannes Awards Go to Asian Films

Thai director Apichatpong Weerasethakul poses with his award trophy at the 63rd Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, France on Sunday, May 23, 2010. [Photo: CFP]

Thai director Apichatpong Weerasethakul's movie "Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives" has won the 2010 Golden Palm (Palme d'Or), the most prestigious award of the 63rd International Film Festival of Cannes.

The 113-minute long movie, a co-production of Britain, Thailand, France, Germany and Spain, was a big surprise at the night when the curtain of the 12-day festival fell on Sunday.

It features the final days of Uncle Boonmee who is suffering from acute kidney failure and returns to the countryside finding himself surrounded by beloved ones. Contemplating the reasons for his illness, Boonmee treks through the jungle with his family to seek his birthplace.

This is the third movie of Apichatpong Weerasethakul selected for the Cannes Film Festival, with "Tropical Malady" winning the Prize of Jury in 2004.

Thai filmmaker Apichatpong Weerasethakul began making short film and video works before shooting the documentary, and since 1998, his art projects and feature films have won him numerous festival prizes and international recognition.

The last Asian film winning the Cannes Golden Palm was "The Eel " by Japanese director Shohei Imanura in 1997, four years before which Chinese director Chen Kaige's movie "Farewell My Concubine" successfully won the jury's good graces for the same prestigious prize.

Another Asian film which also gathered much focus on Sunday night is South Korean director Lee Chang-dong's production "Poetry ", which won Best Screenplay award of the film festival.

A total of 19 movies of the official selection competed for this year's Golden Palm award.

The Grand Prize of the festival (Grand Prix) went to Xavier Beauvois' production of "Of Gods And Men" (France), and the Jury Prize to "A Screaming Man" (France, Belgium and Chad), conducted by Chadian director Mahamat-Saleh Haroun.

French actress Juliette Binoche, the heroine of "Certified Copy " (France, Italy) is granted the Best Actress, while Javier Bardem in "Biutiful" (Spain, Mexico) and Elio Germano in "Our Life" ( Italy, France) are both announced as the Best Actors.

The director of "On Tour" (France), Mathieu Amalric, took away the Best Director award.

French director Serge Avedikian's "Barking Island" (France) was announced to be the winner of the Golden Palm for Best Short Film.

As for Un Certain Regard (A Certain Glance) prizes, which award those young talents innovative and audacious works, South Korean production "Hahaha" directed by Hong Sangsoo won the Groupama Gan Foundation for Cinema.

The Jury Prize of Un Certain Regard went to Spanish movie " October" by Daniel Vega and Diego Vega.

Victoria Raposo, Eva Bianco and Adela Sanchez of Argentina movie "The Lips" won the Un Certain Regard Award for Best Actress. This movie is directed by Santiago Loza Ivan Fung.

"The Tree" shot in Australia and directed by French female director Julie Bertucelli was to be presented after the award ceremony on the closing night.

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