Cannes - Palme d'Or
The Cannes Film Festival is the world's most prestigious film festival, first held in 1946 in the resort town of Cannes, in the south of France. Since then, it has been held annually in May with a few exceptions. Given massive media exposure, the non-public Festival is attended by many movie stars and is a popular venue for movie producers to launch their new films and attempt to sell their works to the distributors who come from all over the globe. The most prestigious award at Cannes is the Palme d'Or (Golden Palm) for the best film, sometimes shared by multiple films in one year.
Below are the past winners of this most cherished trophy.
Right: Michael Moore gets his for Fahrenheit 9/11.
The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964)
7.8/10
Director: Jacques Demy
Starring: Catherine Deneuve, Nino Castelnuovo, Anne Vernon
A beautifully restored version of Jacques Demy's classic, bittersweet musical of two young lovers (a luminous Catherine Deneuve and handsome Nino Cast... Read more
The Leopard (1963)
8.1/10
Director: Luchino Visconti
Starring: Burt Lancaster, Alain Delon, Claudia Cardinale
AKA 'Il Gattopardo'. This magnificent spectacle, and one of the finest 'scope' movies ever made, is set in 1860 Sicily and focuses on an aristocrat wh... Read more
Blow-up (1966)
7.6/10
Director: Michelangelo Antonioni
Starring: Vanessa Redgrave, Sarah Miles, David Hemmings
Michelangelo Antonioni's close-up of Swinging Sixties London. David Hemmings plays a master photographer who explores the city twenty-four hours a day... Read more
La Dolce Vita (1960)
8.1/10
Director: Federico Fellini
Starring: Marcello Mastroianni, Anouk Aimee, Anita Ekberg
'A landmark of cinematic social comment,' wrote one critic about Fellini's journey through a decadent Rome. Banned by the church in many countries, th... Read more
The White Ribbon (2009)
7.8/10
Director: Michael Haneke
Starring: Ursina Lardi, Ulrich Tukur, Leonie Benesch, Christian Friedel
Michael Haneke ('Funny Games', 'Code Unknown', etc) does not make films with easy answers. 'The White Ribbon' offers a view of a small pre-WWI German... Read more
Wild at Heart (1990)
7.2/10
Director: David Lynch
Starring: Nicolas Cage, Willem Dafoe, Laura Dern, Diane Ladd, Crispin Glover, Isabella Ros...
If Lula (Laura Dern) knows one thing in this world, it's that she's destined to be with her ex-con boyfriend Sailor (Nicolas Cage) - no matter how man... Read more
The Son's Room (2001)
7.4/10
Director: Nanni Moretti
Starring: Laura Morante, Nanni Moretti
This critically acclaimed family drama from director Nanni Moretti ('Caro Diario') won the Palme d'Or (Best Film) at Cannes. The film looks at how a c... Read more
The Cranes are Flying (1957)
8.3/10
Director: Mikhail Kalatozov
Starring: Tatiana Samoilova, Alexei Batalov, Vasily Merkuryev
Veronica and Boris are blissfully in love, until the eruption of World War II tears them apart. Boris is sent to the front lines... and then communica... Read more
Paris, Texas (1984)
8.1/10
Director: Wim Wenders
Starring: Harry Dean Stanton, Nastassja Kinski, Dean Stockwell, Aurore Clement, Hunter Car...
Sam Shepard wrote this lyrical and moving American tale directed by German filmmaker Wim Wenders. Beautifully photographed by Robby Muller with music... Read more
The Class ( Entre Les Murs ) (2008)
7.5/10
Director: Laurent Cantet
Starring: Francois Begaudeau, Franck Keita, Nassim Amrabt, Esmerelda Ouertani
French director Laurent Cantet does something miraculous with the well-worn conceit of a teacher and his underprivileged students in this fresh and op... Read more