Anatomy Of A Fall, directed by Justine Triet, claimed the prestigious Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival’s 2023 awards ceremony held at the Grand Theatre Lumiere on May 27. This Hitchcockian mystery thriller stars Sandra Hüller as a woman accused of murder after her husband’s suspicious death. The film has already secured distribution deals with Neon for North America and Picturehouse for the UK and Ireland, solidifying its global appeal.
Triet and her team received a heartfelt standing ovation, with the director expressing that this film is her most personal work yet. She dedicated her award to “all young women directors” and “young directors” alike, as well as those currently unable to make films.
Triet becomes the third female director to receive the Palme d’Or, following Julia Ducournau for Titane in 2021 and Jane Campion, who shared the award for The Piano with Farewell My Concubine in 1993.
Sandra Hüller, who stars in Anatomy Of A Fall, also features alongside Christian Friedel in Jonathan Glazer’s Zone of Interest, which earned the runner-up Grand Prix award. Glazer’s film, based on Martin Amis’ novel of the same name, explores the surreal domestic life of an Auschwitz commandant and his wife, shedding light on the unseen horrors of the concentration camp. Glazer paid tribute to Amis during his speech, expressing gratitude for having the opportunity to show the film to the late author.
In an exciting turn of events, Tran An Hung, previously honored with the Caméra d’Or in 1993 for The Scent of Green Papaya, claimed the Best Director award for The Pot-Au-Feu. This gastronomy-themed love story features Juliette Binoche and Benoit Magimel.
The jury prize was introduced by Orlando Bloom and presented to Aki Kurismaki’s bittersweet romance Fallen Leaves, which topped Screen’s jury grid earlier in the day. This marked Kurismaki’s seventh film in Cannes, and his fifth in competition.
Yuji Sakamoto received the Best Screenplay award for Monster, directed by Japanese auteur Hirokazu Kore-eda. John C. Reilly, who presented the prize, humorously highlighted the importance of screenwriters in creating the movie experience.
Merve Dizdar from Turkey won the Best Actress award for her role in Nuri Bilge Ceylan’s About Dry Grasses, a film centered around a teacher’s mandatory assignment in a small village in Eastern Anatolia. Dizdar delivered a prepared speech in Turkish, dedicating the prize to all women who face challenges to exist in this world while holding on to hope.
The Best Actor award went to Koji Yakusho for his performance in Wim Wenders’ Perfect Days. The film follows a toilet cleaner in Tokyo as he discovers the simple beauty in his surroundings.
The Camera d’Or, which recognizes the best first features across all sections, was awarded to Thien An Pham’s Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell, which premiered in the Directors’ Fortnight section.
This year’s jury, presided over by last year’s Palme d’Or winner Ruben Östlund, included Maryam Touzani, Denis Ménochet, Rungano Nyoni, Brie Larson, Paul Dano, Atiq Rahimi, Damián Szifron, and Julia Ducournau.
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