Cannes '08: Kids from Palme winner 'The Class' get heroes' welcome (video)

The young cast from Festival de Cannes'  unanimous Palme D'Or winner "The Class," directed by Laurent Cantet, were greeted to a heroes' welcome when they returned to the Francoise Dolto school in Paris, where the film was shot:

Related:

Cannes '08: Palme d'Or winner "The Class"
Palme d'Or goes to France's "Entre les Murs"

-- Sheigh Crabtree

"Waltz With Bashir" director Ari Folman speaks with France 24 prior to Festival de Cannes:



Related:

Ari Folman's "Waltz With Bashir" commands positive notices
Jurors Sean Penn, Natalie Portman, Alfonso Cuaron on why "Bashir" did not win a prize
"Waltz with Bashir" will dance in U.S. with Sony Pictures Classics

-- Sheigh Crabtree

We have spilled more than a few bits on Matteo Garrone's "Gomorrah," the Grand Jury prize winner at this year's Festival de Cannes. So we are not displeased to find that U.S.-based film fans will have a chance to see this Italian mobster hit in U.S. theaters (and video-on-demand) through IFC Films.

An IFC rep told us it is too soon to tell exactly when "Gomorrah" will play in theaters, but it will simultaneously air on IFC In Theaters pay cable TV. (See this one in theaters if you can.) IFC also has a deal through Blockbuster Video which will carry "Gomorrah" later on.

"Just when we thought we had seen it all, Matteo Garrone has reinvented the Italian Mafia picture with such originality and invention that it seems entirely new," Jonathan Sehring, president of IFC Entertainment, said in a statement. "We think that this completely fresh take on a well-known genre that includes 'The Godfather Trilogy,' 'The Sopranos' and 'Goodfellas' will take American audiences by storm as it did in Cannes. We look forward to getting it out to the widest possible audience."

IFC also locked up Cannes darlings including Arnaud Desplechin’s "A Christmas Tale"; Steve McQueen’s "Hunger," which won the Camera d’Or; "The Chaser," a seriously bloody Korean serial killer thriller by Na Hong-jin which played in the midnight official selection and is being adapted for Leonardo DiCaprio by Warner Bros.; and Josh Safdie’s "The Pleasure of Being Robbed," which closed the Director’s Fortnight.

-- Sheigh Crabtree

Photo: In one of five interweaving tales in "Gomorrah," two teenagers, with excess hormonal bravado, steal a cache of guns and pull off dangerous heists. Credit: Courtesy Cannes Film Festival.

The bad news: Director Ari Folman's critically acclaimed "Waltz With Bashir" got lots of respect, but no outright love from the Festival de Cannes jury on Sunday.

The good news: Now that Sony Pictures Classics' Michael Barker and Tom Bernard confirmed today that they bought Folman's film, North American audiences, and select Latin American movie fans, will have the opportunity to see "Waltz With Bashir" in theaters, perhaps even on Academy screeners, sometime soon.

Folman's striking film is an animated autobiographical documentary about a former Israeli Army soldier who tries to recount his long-forgotten mission in the first Lebanon War in the early eighties. In an attempt to conjure lost memories, the solider travels around the world interviewing old friends and comrades about what they remember. Using only rudimentary Flash animation, Folman unleashes a pastiche of incredible cinematic scenes that are as innovative as they are devastating.

We grabbed a quick comment from Barker, who was en route from Cannes, to confirm the purchase and also elaborate on a potential awards campaign for "Bashir" in the 2009 best animated film Oscar race.

Barker's reply:

"The experience of watching 'Waltz with Bashir' reminds me of what it was like when we saw 'The Battle of Algiers' for the very first time. It is one of the great anti-war movies told in a new way, this time with ingenious animation. It is overwhelming. Our past success with 'Triplets of Bellville' and 'Persepolis' has shown that there is a substantial audience out there with an insatiable appetite for high quality animated features for adults. Ari Folman's 'Waltz With Bashir' will shake people up as it reaches for the stars with its bold ambition."

It still remains to be seen whether Israel will submit "Bashir" as its official Oscar selection or if Folman's film will meet the Academy's particular animated film submission requirements. But given SPC's familiarity with Oscar rules, and its established Academy pedigree, it seems safe to say that "Bashir" will be at least submitted for consideration in one category or another.

But that's not all, folks. SPC also acquired North American rights to "Tyson," James Toback's intimate portrait of Mike Tyson; Bent Hamer's "O' Horten," which I like to refer to as '"Amelie" for geezers,' but is actually a lovely look at a newly retired Norwegian train engineer; and the Dardenne brothers' "Lorna's Silence," about the exploitation of illegal immigrants in Belgium, which won the Cannes jury's screenwriting award.

-- Sheigh Crabtree

Image: Courtesy Cannes Film Festival.

Italian filmmakers won the first and second runner-up prizes at the Festival de Cannes to nobody's surprise Sunday.

If anything, pundits suspected that directors Matteo Garrone ("Gomorra") and Paolo Sorrentino ("Il Divo") could chalk up additional wins, particularly a best actor prize for their shared leading man, Toni Servillo. At the awards news conference, after the prizes were granted, Garrone even took a moment to share the spotlight with his fellow Italian:

"I'm also very happy to be here alongside Paolo Sorrentino, because he's someone I have a great deal of respect for, even if our styles differ. Our taste and passion for filmmaking unite us. Lastly, the fact that two Italian films are award winners is important on an international level. I am proud to be one of those two directors."

Awww. Now that's ama il prossimo tuo come te stesso. Not to say that everyone in Italy is all that pleased with the country's new cinematic ambassadors. After all, the two directors, each in his own way, hold corruption in their homeland up to unflinching scrutiny. One commentator even accused Garrone and Sorrentino of washing Italy's dirty laundry on the Croisette.

Others back in the boot, however, are celebrating Italy's double victory in Cannes. One reporter for the daily newspaper La Repubblica in Rome wrote:

"In an industry that seemed to be fading ... suddenly two directors who have yet to turn 40 have shown that a new generation of filmmakers is born looking at our country's reality, its shadows and shames, without fear."

And to that we say, congratulazioni.

-- Sheigh Crabtree

Photo: Paolo Sorrentino ("Il Divo") with Matteo Garrone ("Gommora"). Credit: WireImage

Times film critic Kenneth Turan on this year's award winners, some overlooked gems, and cherished revivals:

CANNES, France -- What a difference 21 years makes.

In 1987, the last time a French film won the Palme d'Or, the audience at the Palais du Festival was so angry at the choice of "Under the Sun of Satan" that it hooted furiously and the director, Maurice Pialat, yelled right back.

But when Laurent Cantet's masterful "Entre les Murs" won the top prize at the Festival de Cannes on Sunday night -- one of only two unanimous votes, jury president Sean Penn revealed -- the audience erupted in ecstatic rhythmic applause, which only increased as most of the 24 middle-school students who made up the cast joined the director onstage.

Click here to see the rest of Turan's Cannes wrap story.

-- Sheigh Crabtree

Festival de Cannes jury news conference question:
How come Ari Folman's "Waltz With Bashir," the amazing film from Israel, didn't get nothing? There was a huge buzz around it, and it's such a surprise, bad surprise.

Sean Penn, jury president:
"The only thing I would say, I was happy to find out that buzzes mean nothing; this jury was entirely  un-influenced, and I can tell you that I would agree with you, but we had so many prizes to give. There were several people that agreed, most certainly--myself included--it's a film worthy. As I said during the ceremony, there were things that called out, and there were times where we felt that we had almost certainly a certain category fulfilled and then something else would come and provoke us in a different way. There’s not a good answer for this question from me, because while I don't believe that I particularly argued for it, ultimately, I think it's a wonderful movie. I also believe that it is a film that is going to find its audience with or without us."

Alfonso Cuaron, juror:
"It was a film that was well cherished by the jury."

Natalie Portman, juror:
"I think it speaks to the quality of films in competition this year, that a film as good as "Waltz With Bashir" didn't make it, that we had such a good selection. I very much admired the film."

-- Sheigh Crabtree

Photo: Israeli writer and director Ari Folman poses at a photo call for the film "Waltz With Bashir," courtesy Lionel Cironneau / Associated Press.

Choosing from 22 competing films in the Festival de Cannes' official selection, Jury President Sean Penn, with the help of nine jurists, including actress Natalie Portman and director Alfonso Cuaron, unanimously gave the Palme D'or to Laurent Cantet's "The Class," about a teacher who is challenged by his students in a tough junior high school in Paris.

In his acceptance speech Cantet noted he was disappointed that the film business has not been especially open to making films that are slightly offbeat. But with "The Class," he said, he was able to accomplish something ideal to him.

CLICK FOR MORE

Photo: Jury President Sean Penn with director Laurent Cantet and students from Palme D'Or winner "The Class" at the 61st International Cannes Film Festival on May 25, 2008, in Cannes, France. WireImage.

Although the Un Certain Regard jury normally gives just three prizes annually, it gave an extra two prizes this year to films in the Festival de Cannes' Un Certain Regard selection because of the "quality of offerings."

“Our mission was to attribute three prizes for Un Certain Regard, but considering the quality and richness of the offerings, and as a testimony of our great enthusiasm, the jury requested of the festival permission to recognize two more films with honors,” explained Faith Akin, Un Certain Regard Jury president.

"Tulpan," a film about a young Naval officer who returns to life on the Kazakh steppe to a nomadic sheep herding life, won the top prize in the Festival de Cannes' Un Certain Regard selection.

Other standouts in the Un Certain Regard selection include director Kurosawa Kiyoshi's "Tokyo Sonata," which claimed the Jury Prize. Andreas Dresen's "Cloud 9," which one wag described as "The Bucket List" meets "Short Bus," won the Heart Throb prize, no doubt for its ample sex scenes starring a 60-something cast.

A specially named "Knockout" prize was awarded to "Tyson," James Toback's intimate portrait of Mike Tyson told in the boxer's own words.

Lastly, a Prize of Hope was given to Jean-Stephane Sauvaire's "Johnny Mad Dog," about a child-soldier armed to the teeth in Africa and a young refugee trying to protect her disabled father and little brother from the same teenage soldiers.

-- Sheigh Crabtree

See the complete list of winners:

If there is a breakout actor in the films selected for the 61st edition of Festival de Cannes his name is Toni Servillo. The veteran Italian actor stars in not one but two of the most critically praised films in competition: "Il Divo" and "Gomorra."

In "Il Divo," which thanks to director Paolo Sorrentino must have the most stylistic gestalt of any film in competition, Servillo plays Giulio Andreotti, a fixture in Italian government since 1947 who was embroiled in corruption investigations in the 1990s. Servillo plays Andreotti as a physically small but politically unstoppable Machiavelli in a large pair of glasses, exaggerated ears (pinned or prosthetic) and constricted shoulders. It's a physicality that perfectly suits the many nicknames Andreotti goes by -- the Hunchback, the Black Pope, the Man of Darkness and the Fox. 

As counterpoint to his depiction of Andreotti is Servillo's portrayal of Comorra crime boss Franco in "Gomorra," one of five main characters depicted in Matteo Garrone's violent but fabulous expose on the Neapolitan crime clique. As Franco, Servillo plays a brazen and cocksure crime leader in white linen who is physically robust and prone to muscular and threatening gestures.

While the strength of the two Italian films in competition may be more "luck of the draw" than any sign of an Italian film renaissance, there is no question that Toni Servillo's commanding performances are not a fluke. Here are other reviews of Servillo's recent work:

"Il Divo" :

Jay Weissberg, Variety
Not merely chronicling the career of seven-time Italian Prime Minister Giulio Andreotti but also zooming in on the enigmatic politico's character, pic features an astonishing degree of craftsmanship and a towering performance by Toni Servillo.

Mary Corliss, Time.com
As incarnated by Tony Servillo ... Andreotti has the stiff posture of Richard Nixon, but a more imperial menace.

Charles Ealy, Austin 360 Movie Blog
In playing Andreotti, Servillo is reminiscent of Peter Sellers. He’s pitch-perfect in imitation, but also brings an aura of heft.

Wire report, AFP
Shot in Italy's luxury palaces of power, fast-paced "Il Divo" portrays Andreotti as a sometimes comic, sometimes sinister modern-day Machiavelli.

"Gomorrah" :

Wendy Ide, Times Online
The excellent Tony Servillo stars, and, since he also takes the lead in Paolo Sorrentino’s film Il Divo in the festival, looks like a contender for a prize.

Jason Solomons, guardian.co.uk
...the linen-clad fixer (Toni Servillo) organising disposal of toxic waste in a huge quarry, a metaphor for the poisons seeping deep into the earth, the culture.

Lee Marshall, Screen Daily
... Franco (Servillo) is a smooth-talking suited businessman but his business is the illegal 'processing' of toxic waste, an activity that becomes increasingly repellent to his principled young assistant Roberto (Paternoster).

-- Sheigh Crabtree

Photo: Toni Servillo at the Cannes photocall for "Il Divo." WireImage

Cannes '08: Director Ari Folman on 'Waltz With Bashir' (video)

"Waltz With Bashir" director Ari Folman speaks with France 24 prior to Festival de Cannes:



Related:

Ari Folman's "Waltz With Bashir" commands positive notices
Jurors Sean Penn, Natalie Portman, Alfonso Cuaron on why "Bashir" did not win a prize
"Waltz with Bashir" will dance in U.S. with Sony Pictures Classics

-- Sheigh Crabtree

We have spilled more than a few bits on Matteo Garrone's "Gomorrah," the Grand Jury prize winner at this year's Festival de Cannes. So we are not displeased to find that U.S.-based film fans will have a chance to see this Italian mobster hit in U.S. theaters (and video-on-demand) through IFC Films.

An IFC rep told us it is too soon to tell exactly when "Gomorrah" will play in theaters, but it will simultaneously air on IFC In Theaters pay cable TV. (See this one in theaters if you can.) IFC also has a deal through Blockbuster Video which will carry "Gomorrah" later on.

"Just when we thought we had seen it all, Matteo Garrone has reinvented the Italian Mafia picture with such originality and invention that it seems entirely new," Jonathan Sehring, president of IFC Entertainment, said in a statement. "We think that this completely fresh take on a well-known genre that includes 'The Godfather Trilogy,' 'The Sopranos' and 'Goodfellas' will take American audiences by storm as it did in Cannes. We look forward to getting it out to the widest possible audience."

IFC also locked up Cannes darlings including Arnaud Desplechin’s "A Christmas Tale"; Steve McQueen’s "Hunger," which won the Camera d’Or; "The Chaser," a seriously bloody Korean serial killer thriller by Na Hong-jin which played in the midnight official selection and is being adapted for Leonardo DiCaprio by Warner Bros.; and Josh Safdie’s "The Pleasure of Being Robbed," which closed the Director’s Fortnight.

-- Sheigh Crabtree

Photo: In one of five interweaving tales in "Gomorrah," two teenagers, with excess hormonal bravado, steal a cache of guns and pull off dangerous heists. Credit: Courtesy Cannes Film Festival.

The bad news: Director Ari Folman's critically acclaimed "Waltz With Bashir" got lots of respect, but no outright love from the Festival de Cannes jury on Sunday.

The good news: Now that Sony Pictures Classics' Michael Barker and Tom Bernard confirmed today that they bought Folman's film, North American audiences, and select Latin American movie fans, will have the opportunity to see "Waltz With Bashir" in theaters, perhaps even on Academy screeners, sometime soon.

Folman's striking film is an animated autobiographical documentary about a former Israeli Army soldier who tries to recount his long-forgotten mission in the first Lebanon War in the early eighties. In an attempt to conjure lost memories, the solider travels around the world interviewing old friends and comrades about what they remember. Using only rudimentary Flash animation, Folman unleashes a pastiche of incredible cinematic scenes that are as innovative as they are devastating.

We grabbed a quick comment from Barker, who was en route from Cannes, to confirm the purchase and also elaborate on a potential awards campaign for "Bashir" in the 2009 best animated film Oscar race.

Barker's reply:

"The experience of watching 'Waltz with Bashir' reminds me of what it was like when we saw 'The Battle of Algiers' for the very first time. It is one of the great anti-war movies told in a new way, this time with ingenious animation. It is overwhelming. Our past success with 'Triplets of Bellville' and 'Persepolis' has shown that there is a substantial audience out there with an insatiable appetite for high quality animated features for adults. Ari Folman's 'Waltz With Bashir' will shake people up as it reaches for the stars with its bold ambition."

It still remains to be seen whether Israel will submit "Bashir" as its official Oscar selection or if Folman's film will meet the Academy's particular animated film submission requirements. But given SPC's familiarity with Oscar rules, and its established Academy pedigree, it seems safe to say that "Bashir" will be at least submitted for consideration in one category or another.

But that's not all, folks. SPC also acquired North American rights to "Tyson," James Toback's intimate portrait of Mike Tyson; Bent Hamer's "O' Horten," which I like to refer to as '"Amelie" for geezers,' but is actually a lovely look at a newly retired Norwegian train engineer; and the Dardenne brothers' "Lorna's Silence," about the exploitation of illegal immigrants in Belgium, which won the Cannes jury's screenwriting award.

-- Sheigh Crabtree

Image: Courtesy Cannes Film Festival.

Italian filmmakers won the first and second runner-up prizes at the Festival de Cannes to nobody's surprise Sunday.

If anything, pundits suspected that directors Matteo Garrone ("Gomorra") and Paolo Sorrentino ("Il Divo") could chalk up additional wins, particularly a best actor prize for their shared leading man, Toni Servillo. At the awards news conference, after the prizes were granted, Garrone even took a moment to share the spotlight with his fellow Italian:

"I'm also very happy to be here alongside Paolo Sorrentino, because he's someone I have a great deal of respect for, even if our styles differ. Our taste and passion for filmmaking unite us. Lastly, the fact that two Italian films are award winners is important on an international level. I am proud to be one of those two directors."

Awww. Now that's ama il prossimo tuo come te stesso. Not to say that everyone in Italy is all that pleased with the country's new cinematic ambassadors. After all, the two directors, each in his own way, hold corruption in their homeland up to unflinching scrutiny. One commentator even accused Garrone and Sorrentino of washing Italy's dirty laundry on the Croisette.

Others back in the boot, however, are celebrating Italy's double victory in Cannes. One reporter for the daily newspaper La Repubblica in Rome wrote:

"In an industry that seemed to be fading ... suddenly two directors who have yet to turn 40 have shown that a new generation of filmmakers is born looking at our country's reality, its shadows and shames, without fear."

And to that we say, congratulazioni.

-- Sheigh Crabtree

Photo: Paolo Sorrentino ("Il Divo") with Matteo Garrone ("Gommora"). Credit: WireImage

Times film critic Kenneth Turan on this year's award winners, some overlooked gems, and cherished revivals:

CANNES, France -- What a difference 21 years makes.

In 1987, the last time a French film won the Palme d'Or, the audience at the Palais du Festival was so angry at the choice of "Under the Sun of Satan" that it hooted furiously and the director, Maurice Pialat, yelled right back.

But when Laurent Cantet's masterful "Entre les Murs" won the top prize at the Festival de Cannes on Sunday night -- one of only two unanimous votes, jury president Sean Penn revealed -- the audience erupted in ecstatic rhythmic applause, which only increased as most of the 24 middle-school students who made up the cast joined the director onstage.

Click here to see the rest of Turan's Cannes wrap story.

-- Sheigh Crabtree

Festival de Cannes jury news conference question:
How come Ari Folman's "Waltz With Bashir," the amazing film from Israel, didn't get nothing? There was a huge buzz around it, and it's such a surprise, bad surprise.

Sean Penn, jury president:
"The only thing I would say, I was happy to find out that buzzes mean nothing; this jury was entirely  un-influenced, and I can tell you that I would agree with you, but we had so many prizes to give. There were several people that agreed, most certainly--myself included--it's a film worthy. As I said during the ceremony, there were things that called out, and there were times where we felt that we had almost certainly a certain category fulfilled and then something else would come and provoke us in a different way. There’s not a good answer for this question from me, because while I don't believe that I particularly argued for it, ultimately, I think it's a wonderful movie. I also believe that it is a film that is going to find its audience with or without us."

Alfonso Cuaron, juror:
"It was a film that was well cherished by the jury."

Natalie Portman, juror:
"I think it speaks to the quality of films in competition this year, that a film as good as "Waltz With Bashir" didn't make it, that we had such a good selection. I very much admired the film."

-- Sheigh Crabtree

Photo: Israeli writer and director Ari Folman poses at a photo call for the film "Waltz With Bashir," courtesy Lionel Cironneau / Associated Press.

Choosing from 22 competing films in the Festival de Cannes' official selection, Jury President Sean Penn, with the help of nine jurists, including actress Natalie Portman and director Alfonso Cuaron, unanimously gave the Palme D'or to Laurent Cantet's "The Class," about a teacher who is challenged by his students in a tough junior high school in Paris.

In his acceptance speech Cantet noted he was disappointed that the film business has not been especially open to making films that are slightly offbeat. But with "The Class," he said, he was able to accomplish something ideal to him.

CLICK FOR MORE

Photo: Jury President Sean Penn with director Laurent Cantet and students from Palme D'Or winner "The Class" at the 61st International Cannes Film Festival on May 25, 2008, in Cannes, France. WireImage.

Although the Un Certain Regard jury normally gives just three prizes annually, it gave an extra two prizes this year to films in the Festival de Cannes' Un Certain Regard selection because of the "quality of offerings."

“Our mission was to attribute three prizes for Un Certain Regard, but considering the quality and richness of the offerings, and as a testimony of our great enthusiasm, the jury requested of the festival permission to recognize two more films with honors,” explained Faith Akin, Un Certain Regard Jury president.

"Tulpan," a film about a young Naval officer who returns to life on the Kazakh steppe to a nomadic sheep herding life, won the top prize in the Festival de Cannes' Un Certain Regard selection.

Other standouts in the Un Certain Regard selection include director Kurosawa Kiyoshi's "Tokyo Sonata," which claimed the Jury Prize. Andreas Dresen's "Cloud 9," which one wag described as "The Bucket List" meets "Short Bus," won the Heart Throb prize, no doubt for its ample sex scenes starring a 60-something cast.

A specially named "Knockout" prize was awarded to "Tyson," James Toback's intimate portrait of Mike Tyson told in the boxer's own words.

Lastly, a Prize of Hope was given to Jean-Stephane Sauvaire's "Johnny Mad Dog," about a child-soldier armed to the teeth in Africa and a young refugee trying to protect her disabled father and little brother from the same teenage soldiers.

-- Sheigh Crabtree

See the complete list of winners:

If there is a breakout actor in the films selected for the 61st edition of Festival de Cannes his name is Toni Servillo. The veteran Italian actor stars in not one but two of the most critically praised films in competition: "Il Divo" and "Gomorra."

In "Il Divo," which thanks to director Paolo Sorrentino must have the most stylistic gestalt of any film in competition, Servillo plays Giulio Andreotti, a fixture in Italian government since 1947 who was embroiled in corruption investigations in the 1990s. Servillo plays Andreotti as a physically small but politically unstoppable Machiavelli in a large pair of glasses, exaggerated ears (pinned or prosthetic) and constricted shoulders. It's a physicality that perfectly suits the many nicknames Andreotti goes by -- the Hunchback, the Black Pope, the Man of Darkness and the Fox. 

As counterpoint to his depiction of Andreotti is Servillo's portrayal of Comorra crime boss Franco in "Gomorra," one of five main characters depicted in Matteo Garrone's violent but fabulous expose on the Neapolitan crime clique. As Franco, Servillo plays a brazen and cocksure crime leader in white linen who is physically robust and prone to muscular and threatening gestures.

While the strength of the two Italian films in competition may be more "luck of the draw" than any sign of an Italian film renaissance, there is no question that Toni Servillo's commanding performances are not a fluke. Here are other reviews of Servillo's recent work:

"Il Divo" :

Jay Weissberg, Variety
Not merely chronicling the career of seven-time Italian Prime Minister Giulio Andreotti but also zooming in on the enigmatic politico's character, pic features an astonishing degree of craftsmanship and a towering performance by Toni Servillo.

Mary Corliss, Time.com
As incarnated by Tony Servillo ... Andreotti has the stiff posture of Richard Nixon, but a more imperial menace.

Charles Ealy, Austin 360 Movie Blog
In playing Andreotti, Servillo is reminiscent of Peter Sellers. He’s pitch-perfect in imitation, but also brings an aura of heft.

Wire report, AFP
Shot in Italy's luxury palaces of power, fast-paced "Il Divo" portrays Andreotti as a sometimes comic, sometimes sinister modern-day Machiavelli.

"Gomorrah" :

Wendy Ide, Times Online
The excellent Tony Servillo stars, and, since he also takes the lead in Paolo Sorrentino’s film Il Divo in the festival, looks like a contender for a prize.

Jason Solomons, guardian.co.uk
...the linen-clad fixer (Toni Servillo) organising disposal of toxic waste in a huge quarry, a metaphor for the poisons seeping deep into the earth, the culture.

Lee Marshall, Screen Daily
... Franco (Servillo) is a smooth-talking suited businessman but his business is the illegal 'processing' of toxic waste, an activity that becomes increasingly repellent to his principled young assistant Roberto (Paternoster).

-- Sheigh Crabtree

Photo: Toni Servillo at the Cannes photocall for "Il Divo." WireImage

Cannes '08: IFC Films locks up Italian mob hit 'Gomorrah'

We have spilled more than a few bits on Matteo Garrone's "Gomorrah," the Grand Jury prize winner at this year's Festival de Cannes. So we are not displeased to find that U.S.-based film fans will have a chance to see this Italian mobster hit in U.S. theaters (and video-on-demand) through IFC Films.

An IFC rep told us it is too soon to tell exactly when "Gomorrah" will play in theaters, but it will simultaneously air on IFC In Theaters pay cable TV. (See this one in theaters if you can.) IFC also has a deal through Blockbuster Video which will carry "Gomorrah" later on.

"Just when we thought we had seen it all, Matteo Garrone has reinvented the Italian Mafia picture with such originality and invention that it seems entirely new," Jonathan Sehring, president of IFC Entertainment, said in a statement. "We think that this completely fresh take on a well-known genre that includes 'The Godfather Trilogy,' 'The Sopranos' and 'Goodfellas' will take American audiences by storm as it did in Cannes. We look forward to getting it out to the widest possible audience."

IFC also locked up Cannes darlings including Arnaud Desplechin’s "A Christmas Tale"; Steve McQueen’s "Hunger," which won the Camera d’Or; "The Chaser," a seriously bloody Korean serial killer thriller by Na Hong-jin which played in the midnight official selection and is being adapted for Leonardo DiCaprio by Warner Bros.; and Josh Safdie’s "The Pleasure of Being Robbed," which closed the Director’s Fortnight.

-- Sheigh Crabtree

Photo: In one of five interweaving tales in "Gomorrah," two teenagers, with excess hormonal bravado, steal a cache of guns and pull off dangerous heists. Credit: Courtesy Cannes Film Festival.

The bad news: Director Ari Folman's critically acclaimed "Waltz With Bashir" got lots of respect, but no outright love from the Festival de Cannes jury on Sunday.

The good news: Now that Sony Pictures Classics' Michael Barker and Tom Bernard confirmed today that they bought Folman's film, North American audiences, and select Latin American movie fans, will have the opportunity to see "Waltz With Bashir" in theaters, perhaps even on Academy screeners, sometime soon.

Folman's striking film is an animated autobiographical documentary about a former Israeli Army soldier who tries to recount his long-forgotten mission in the first Lebanon War in the early eighties. In an attempt to conjure lost memories, the solider travels around the world interviewing old friends and comrades about what they remember. Using only rudimentary Flash animation, Folman unleashes a pastiche of incredible cinematic scenes that are as innovative as they are devastating.

We grabbed a quick comment from Barker, who was en route from Cannes, to confirm the purchase and also elaborate on a potential awards campaign for "Bashir" in the 2009 best animated film Oscar race.

Barker's reply:

"The experience of watching 'Waltz with Bashir' reminds me of what it was like when we saw 'The Battle of Algiers' for the very first time. It is one of the great anti-war movies told in a new way, this time with ingenious animation. It is overwhelming. Our past success with 'Triplets of Bellville' and 'Persepolis' has shown that there is a substantial audience out there with an insatiable appetite for high quality animated features for adults. Ari Folman's 'Waltz With Bashir' will shake people up as it reaches for the stars with its bold ambition."

It still remains to be seen whether Israel will submit "Bashir" as its official Oscar selection or if Folman's film will meet the Academy's particular animated film submission requirements. But given SPC's familiarity with Oscar rules, and its established Academy pedigree, it seems safe to say that "Bashir" will be at least submitted for consideration in one category or another.

But that's not all, folks. SPC also acquired North American rights to "Tyson," James Toback's intimate portrait of Mike Tyson; Bent Hamer's "O' Horten," which I like to refer to as '"Amelie" for geezers,' but is actually a lovely look at a newly retired Norwegian train engineer; and the Dardenne brothers' "Lorna's Silence," about the exploitation of illegal immigrants in Belgium, which won the Cannes jury's screenwriting award.

-- Sheigh Crabtree

Image: Courtesy Cannes Film Festival.

Italian filmmakers won the first and second runner-up prizes at the Festival de Cannes to nobody's surprise Sunday.

If anything, pundits suspected that directors Matteo Garrone ("Gomorra") and Paolo Sorrentino ("Il Divo") could chalk up additional wins, particularly a best actor prize for their shared leading man, Toni Servillo. At the awards news conference, after the prizes were granted, Garrone even took a moment to share the spotlight with his fellow Italian:

"I'm also very happy to be here alongside Paolo Sorrentino, because he's someone I have a great deal of respect for, even if our styles differ. Our taste and passion for filmmaking unite us. Lastly, the fact that two Italian films are award winners is important on an international level. I am proud to be one of those two directors."

Awww. Now that's ama il prossimo tuo come te stesso. Not to say that everyone in Italy is all that pleased with the country's new cinematic ambassadors. After all, the two directors, each in his own way, hold corruption in their homeland up to unflinching scrutiny. One commentator even accused Garrone and Sorrentino of washing Italy's dirty laundry on the Croisette.

Others back in the boot, however, are celebrating Italy's double victory in Cannes. One reporter for the daily newspaper La Repubblica in Rome wrote:

"In an industry that seemed to be fading ... suddenly two directors who have yet to turn 40 have shown that a new generation of filmmakers is born looking at our country's reality, its shadows and shames, without fear."

And to that we say, congratulazioni.

-- Sheigh Crabtree

Photo: Paolo Sorrentino ("Il Divo") with Matteo Garrone ("Gommora"). Credit: WireImage

Times film critic Kenneth Turan on this year's award winners, some overlooked gems, and cherished revivals:

CANNES, France -- What a difference 21 years makes.

In 1987, the last time a French film won the Palme d'Or, the audience at the Palais du Festival was so angry at the choice of "Under the Sun of Satan" that it hooted furiously and the director, Maurice Pialat, yelled right back.

But when Laurent Cantet's masterful "Entre les Murs" won the top prize at the Festival de Cannes on Sunday night -- one of only two unanimous votes, jury president Sean Penn revealed -- the audience erupted in ecstatic rhythmic applause, which only increased as most of the 24 middle-school students who made up the cast joined the director onstage.

Click here to see the rest of Turan's Cannes wrap story.

-- Sheigh Crabtree

Festival de Cannes jury news conference question:
How come Ari Folman's "Waltz With Bashir," the amazing film from Israel, didn't get nothing? There was a huge buzz around it, and it's such a surprise, bad surprise.

Sean Penn, jury president:
"The only thing I would say, I was happy to find out that buzzes mean nothing; this jury was entirely  un-influenced, and I can tell you that I would agree with you, but we had so many prizes to give. There were several people that agreed, most certainly--myself included--it's a film worthy. As I said during the ceremony, there were things that called out, and there were times where we felt that we had almost certainly a certain category fulfilled and then something else would come and provoke us in a different way. There’s not a good answer for this question from me, because while I don't believe that I particularly argued for it, ultimately, I think it's a wonderful movie. I also believe that it is a film that is going to find its audience with or without us."

Alfonso Cuaron, juror:
"It was a film that was well cherished by the jury."

Natalie Portman, juror:
"I think it speaks to the quality of films in competition this year, that a film as good as "Waltz With Bashir" didn't make it, that we had such a good selection. I very much admired the film."

-- Sheigh Crabtree

Photo: Israeli writer and director Ari Folman poses at a photo call for the film "Waltz With Bashir," courtesy Lionel Cironneau / Associated Press.

Choosing from 22 competing films in the Festival de Cannes' official selection, Jury President Sean Penn, with the help of nine jurists, including actress Natalie Portman and director Alfonso Cuaron, unanimously gave the Palme D'or to Laurent Cantet's "The Class," about a teacher who is challenged by his students in a tough junior high school in Paris.

In his acceptance speech Cantet noted he was disappointed that the film business has not been especially open to making films that are slightly offbeat. But with "The Class," he said, he was able to accomplish something ideal to him.

CLICK FOR MORE

Photo: Jury President Sean Penn with director Laurent Cantet and students from Palme D'Or winner "The Class" at the 61st International Cannes Film Festival on May 25, 2008, in Cannes, France. WireImage.

Although the Un Certain Regard jury normally gives just three prizes annually, it gave an extra two prizes this year to films in the Festival de Cannes' Un Certain Regard selection because of the "quality of offerings."

“Our mission was to attribute three prizes for Un Certain Regard, but considering the quality and richness of the offerings, and as a testimony of our great enthusiasm, the jury requested of the festival permission to recognize two more films with honors,” explained Faith Akin, Un Certain Regard Jury president.

"Tulpan," a film about a young Naval officer who returns to life on the Kazakh steppe to a nomadic sheep herding life, won the top prize in the Festival de Cannes' Un Certain Regard selection.

Other standouts in the Un Certain Regard selection include director Kurosawa Kiyoshi's "Tokyo Sonata," which claimed the Jury Prize. Andreas Dresen's "Cloud 9," which one wag described as "The Bucket List" meets "Short Bus," won the Heart Throb prize, no doubt for its ample sex scenes starring a 60-something cast.

A specially named "Knockout" prize was awarded to "Tyson," James Toback's intimate portrait of Mike Tyson told in the boxer's own words.

Lastly, a Prize of Hope was given to Jean-Stephane Sauvaire's "Johnny Mad Dog," about a child-soldier armed to the teeth in Africa and a young refugee trying to protect her disabled father and little brother from the same teenage soldiers.

-- Sheigh Crabtree

See the complete list of winners:

If there is a breakout actor in the films selected for the 61st edition of Festival de Cannes his name is Toni Servillo. The veteran Italian actor stars in not one but two of the most critically praised films in competition: "Il Divo" and "Gomorra."

In "Il Divo," which thanks to director Paolo Sorrentino must have the most stylistic gestalt of any film in competition, Servillo plays Giulio Andreotti, a fixture in Italian government since 1947 who was embroiled in corruption investigations in the 1990s. Servillo plays Andreotti as a physically small but politically unstoppable Machiavelli in a large pair of glasses, exaggerated ears (pinned or prosthetic) and constricted shoulders. It's a physicality that perfectly suits the many nicknames Andreotti goes by -- the Hunchback, the Black Pope, the Man of Darkness and the Fox. 

As counterpoint to his depiction of Andreotti is Servillo's portrayal of Comorra crime boss Franco in "Gomorra," one of five main characters depicted in Matteo Garrone's violent but fabulous expose on the Neapolitan crime clique. As Franco, Servillo plays a brazen and cocksure crime leader in white linen who is physically robust and prone to muscular and threatening gestures.

While the strength of the two Italian films in competition may be more "luck of the draw" than any sign of an Italian film renaissance, there is no question that Toni Servillo's commanding performances are not a fluke. Here are other reviews of Servillo's recent work:

"Il Divo" :

Jay Weissberg, Variety
Not merely chronicling the career of seven-time Italian Prime Minister Giulio Andreotti but also zooming in on the enigmatic politico's character, pic features an astonishing degree of craftsmanship and a towering performance by Toni Servillo.

Mary Corliss, Time.com
As incarnated by Tony Servillo ... Andreotti has the stiff posture of Richard Nixon, but a more imperial menace.

Charles Ealy, Austin 360 Movie Blog
In playing Andreotti, Servillo is reminiscent of Peter Sellers. He’s pitch-perfect in imitation, but also brings an aura of heft.

Wire report, AFP
Shot in Italy's luxury palaces of power, fast-paced "Il Divo" portrays Andreotti as a sometimes comic, sometimes sinister modern-day Machiavelli.

"Gomorrah" :

Wendy Ide, Times Online
The excellent Tony Servillo stars, and, since he also takes the lead in Paolo Sorrentino’s film Il Divo in the festival, looks like a contender for a prize.

Jason Solomons, guardian.co.uk
...the linen-clad fixer (Toni Servillo) organising disposal of toxic waste in a huge quarry, a metaphor for the poisons seeping deep into the earth, the culture.

Lee Marshall, Screen Daily
... Franco (Servillo) is a smooth-talking suited businessman but his business is the illegal 'processing' of toxic waste, an activity that becomes increasingly repellent to his principled young assistant Roberto (Paternoster).

-- Sheigh Crabtree

Photo: Toni Servillo at the Cannes photocall for "Il Divo." WireImage

Cannes '08 to Oscars '09? 'Waltz With Bashir' will dance in U.S. with Sony Pictures Classics

The bad news: Director Ari Folman's critically acclaimed "Waltz With Bashir" got lots of respect, but no outright love from the Festival de Cannes jury on Sunday.

The good news: Now that Sony Pictures Classics' Michael Barker and Tom Bernard confirmed today that they bought Folman's film, North American audiences, and select Latin American movie fans, will have the opportunity to see "Waltz With Bashir" in theaters, perhaps even on Academy screeners, sometime soon.

Folman's striking film is an animated autobiographical documentary about a former Israeli Army soldier who tries to recount his long-forgotten mission in the first Lebanon War in the early eighties. In an attempt to conjure lost memories, the solider travels around the world interviewing old friends and comrades about what they remember. Using only rudimentary Flash animation, Folman unleashes a pastiche of incredible cinematic scenes that are as innovative as they are devastating.

We grabbed a quick comment from Barker, who was en route from Cannes, to confirm the purchase and also elaborate on a potential awards campaign for "Bashir" in the 2009 best animated film Oscar race.

Barker's reply:

"The experience of watching 'Waltz with Bashir' reminds me of what it was like when we saw 'The Battle of Algiers' for the very first time. It is one of the great anti-war movies told in a new way, this time with ingenious animation. It is overwhelming. Our past success with 'Triplets of Bellville' and 'Persepolis' has shown that there is a substantial audience out there with an insatiable appetite for high quality animated features for adults. Ari Folman's 'Waltz With Bashir' will shake people up as it reaches for the stars with its bold ambition."

It still remains to be seen whether Israel will submit "Bashir" as its official Oscar selection or if Folman's film will meet the Academy's particular animated film submission requirements. But given SPC's familiarity with Oscar rules, and its established Academy pedigree, it seems safe to say that "Bashir" will be at least submitted for consideration in one category or another.

But that's not all, folks. SPC also acquired North American rights to "Tyson," James Toback's intimate portrait of Mike Tyson; Bent Hamer's "O' Horten," which I like to refer to as '"Amelie" for geezers,' but is actually a lovely look at a newly retired Norwegian train engineer; and the Dardenne brothers' "Lorna's Silence," about the exploitation of illegal immigrants in Belgium, which won the Cannes jury's screenwriting award.

-- Sheigh Crabtree

Image: Courtesy Cannes Film Festival.

Italian filmmakers won the first and second runner-up prizes at the Festival de Cannes to nobody's surprise Sunday.

If anything, pundits suspected that directors Matteo Garrone ("Gomorra") and Paolo Sorrentino ("Il Divo") could chalk up additional wins, particularly a best actor prize for their shared leading man, Toni Servillo. At the awards news conference, after the prizes were granted, Garrone even took a moment to share the spotlight with his fellow Italian:

"I'm also very happy to be here alongside Paolo Sorrentino, because he's someone I have a great deal of respect for, even if our styles differ. Our taste and passion for filmmaking unite us. Lastly, the fact that two Italian films are award winners is important on an international level. I am proud to be one of those two directors."

Awww. Now that's ama il prossimo tuo come te stesso. Not to say that everyone in Italy is all that pleased with the country's new cinematic ambassadors. After all, the two directors, each in his own way, hold corruption in their homeland up to unflinching scrutiny. One commentator even accused Garrone and Sorrentino of washing Italy's dirty laundry on the Croisette.

Others back in the boot, however, are celebrating Italy's double victory in Cannes. One reporter for the daily newspaper La Repubblica in Rome wrote:

"In an industry that seemed to be fading ... suddenly two directors who have yet to turn 40 have shown that a new generation of filmmakers is born looking at our country's reality, its shadows and shames, without fear."

And to that we say, congratulazioni.

-- Sheigh Crabtree

Photo: Paolo Sorrentino ("Il Divo") with Matteo Garrone ("Gommora"). Credit: WireImage

Times film critic Kenneth Turan on this year's award winners, some overlooked gems, and cherished revivals:

CANNES, France -- What a difference 21 years makes.

In 1987, the last time a French film won the Palme d'Or, the audience at the Palais du Festival was so angry at the choice of "Under the Sun of Satan" that it hooted furiously and the director, Maurice Pialat, yelled right back.

But when Laurent Cantet's masterful "Entre les Murs" won the top prize at the Festival de Cannes on Sunday night -- one of only two unanimous votes, jury president Sean Penn revealed -- the audience erupted in ecstatic rhythmic applause, which only increased as most of the 24 middle-school students who made up the cast joined the director onstage.

Click here to see the rest of Turan's Cannes wrap story.

-- Sheigh Crabtree

Festival de Cannes jury news conference question:
How come Ari Folman's "Waltz With Bashir," the amazing film from Israel, didn't get nothing? There was a huge buzz around it, and it's such a surprise, bad surprise.

Sean Penn, jury president:
"The only thing I would say, I was happy to find out that buzzes mean nothing; this jury was entirely  un-influenced, and I can tell you that I would agree with you, but we had so many prizes to give. There were several people that agreed, most certainly--myself included--it's a film worthy. As I said during the ceremony, there were things that called out, and there were times where we felt that we had almost certainly a certain category fulfilled and then something else would come and provoke us in a different way. There’s not a good answer for this question from me, because while I don't believe that I particularly argued for it, ultimately, I think it's a wonderful movie. I also believe that it is a film that is going to find its audience with or without us."

Alfonso Cuaron, juror:
"It was a film that was well cherished by the jury."

Natalie Portman, juror:
"I think it speaks to the quality of films in competition this year, that a film as good as "Waltz With Bashir" didn't make it, that we had such a good selection. I very much admired the film."

-- Sheigh Crabtree

Photo: Israeli writer and director Ari Folman poses at a photo call for the film "Waltz With Bashir," courtesy Lionel Cironneau / Associated Press.

Choosing from 22 competing films in the Festival de Cannes' official selection, Jury President Sean Penn, with the help of nine jurists, including actress Natalie Portman and director Alfonso Cuaron, unanimously gave the Palme D'or to Laurent Cantet's "The Class," about a teacher who is challenged by his students in a tough junior high school in Paris.

In his acceptance speech Cantet noted he was disappointed that the film business has not been especially open to making films that are slightly offbeat. But with "The Class," he said, he was able to accomplish something ideal to him.

CLICK FOR MORE

Photo: Jury President Sean Penn with director Laurent Cantet and students from Palme D'Or winner "The Class" at the 61st International Cannes Film Festival on May 25, 2008, in Cannes, France. WireImage.

Although the Un Certain Regard jury normally gives just three prizes annually, it gave an extra two prizes this year to films in the Festival de Cannes' Un Certain Regard selection because of the "quality of offerings."

“Our mission was to attribute three prizes for Un Certain Regard, but considering the quality and richness of the offerings, and as a testimony of our great enthusiasm, the jury requested of the festival permission to recognize two more films with honors,” explained Faith Akin, Un Certain Regard Jury president.

"Tulpan," a film about a young Naval officer who returns to life on the Kazakh steppe to a nomadic sheep herding life, won the top prize in the Festival de Cannes' Un Certain Regard selection.

Other standouts in the Un Certain Regard selection include director Kurosawa Kiyoshi's "Tokyo Sonata," which claimed the Jury Prize. Andreas Dresen's "Cloud 9," which one wag described as "The Bucket List" meets "Short Bus," won the Heart Throb prize, no doubt for its ample sex scenes starring a 60-something cast.

A specially named "Knockout" prize was awarded to "Tyson," James Toback's intimate portrait of Mike Tyson told in the boxer's own words.

Lastly, a Prize of Hope was given to Jean-Stephane Sauvaire's "Johnny Mad Dog," about a child-soldier armed to the teeth in Africa and a young refugee trying to protect her disabled father and little brother from the same teenage soldiers.

-- Sheigh Crabtree

See the complete list of winners:

If there is a breakout actor in the films selected for the 61st edition of Festival de Cannes his name is Toni Servillo. The veteran Italian actor stars in not one but two of the most critically praised films in competition: "Il Divo" and "Gomorra."

In "Il Divo," which thanks to director Paolo Sorrentino must have the most stylistic gestalt of any film in competition, Servillo plays Giulio Andreotti, a fixture in Italian government since 1947 who was embroiled in corruption investigations in the 1990s. Servillo plays Andreotti as a physically small but politically unstoppable Machiavelli in a large pair of glasses, exaggerated ears (pinned or prosthetic) and constricted shoulders. It's a physicality that perfectly suits the many nicknames Andreotti goes by -- the Hunchback, the Black Pope, the Man of Darkness and the Fox. 

As counterpoint to his depiction of Andreotti is Servillo's portrayal of Comorra crime boss Franco in "Gomorra," one of five main characters depicted in Matteo Garrone's violent but fabulous expose on the Neapolitan crime clique. As Franco, Servillo plays a brazen and cocksure crime leader in white linen who is physically robust and prone to muscular and threatening gestures.

While the strength of the two Italian films in competition may be more "luck of the draw" than any sign of an Italian film renaissance, there is no question that Toni Servillo's commanding performances are not a fluke. Here are other reviews of Servillo's recent work:

"Il Divo" :

Jay Weissberg, Variety
Not merely chronicling the career of seven-time Italian Prime Minister Giulio Andreotti but also zooming in on the enigmatic politico's character, pic features an astonishing degree of craftsmanship and a towering performance by Toni Servillo.

Mary Corliss, Time.com
As incarnated by Tony Servillo ... Andreotti has the stiff posture of Richard Nixon, but a more imperial menace.

Charles Ealy, Austin 360 Movie Blog
In playing Andreotti, Servillo is reminiscent of Peter Sellers. He’s pitch-perfect in imitation, but also brings an aura of heft.

Wire report, AFP
Shot in Italy's luxury palaces of power, fast-paced "Il Divo" portrays Andreotti as a sometimes comic, sometimes sinister modern-day Machiavelli.

"Gomorrah" :

Wendy Ide, Times Online
The excellent Tony Servillo stars, and, since he also takes the lead in Paolo Sorrentino’s film Il Divo in the festival, looks like a contender for a prize.

Jason Solomons, guardian.co.uk
...the linen-clad fixer (Toni Servillo) organising disposal of toxic waste in a huge quarry, a metaphor for the poisons seeping deep into the earth, the culture.

Lee Marshall, Screen Daily
... Franco (Servillo) is a smooth-talking suited businessman but his business is the illegal 'processing' of toxic waste, an activity that becomes increasingly repellent to his principled young assistant Roberto (Paternoster).

-- Sheigh Crabtree

Photo: Toni Servillo at the Cannes photocall for "Il Divo." WireImage

Cannes '08: Italy celebrates 'new generation' of filmmakers

Italian filmmakers won the first and second runner-up prizes at the Festival de Cannes to nobody's surprise Sunday.

If anything, pundits suspected that directors Matteo Garrone ("Gomorra") and Paolo Sorrentino ("Il Divo") could chalk up additional wins, particularly a best actor prize for their shared leading man, Toni Servillo. At the awards news conference, after the prizes were granted, Garrone even took a moment to share the spotlight with his fellow Italian:

"I'm also very happy to be here alongside Paolo Sorrentino, because he's someone I have a great deal of respect for, even if our styles differ. Our taste and passion for filmmaking unite us. Lastly, the fact that two Italian films are award winners is important on an international level. I am proud to be one of those two directors."

Awww. Now that's ama il prossimo tuo come te stesso. Not to say that everyone in Italy is all that pleased with the country's new cinematic ambassadors. After all, the two directors, each in his own way, hold corruption in their homeland up to unflinching scrutiny. One commentator even accused Garrone and Sorrentino of washing Italy's dirty laundry on the Croisette.

Others back in the boot, however, are celebrating Italy's double victory in Cannes. One reporter for the daily newspaper La Repubblica in Rome wrote:

"In an industry that seemed to be fading ... suddenly two directors who have yet to turn 40 have shown that a new generation of filmmakers is born looking at our country's reality, its shadows and shames, without fear."

And to that we say, congratulazioni.

-- Sheigh Crabtree

Photo: Paolo Sorrentino ("Il Divo") with Matteo Garrone ("Gommora"). Credit: WireImage

Times film critic Kenneth Turan on this year's award winners, some overlooked gems, and cherished revivals:

CANNES, France -- What a difference 21 years makes.

In 1987, the last time a French film won the Palme d'Or, the audience at the Palais du Festival was so angry at the choice of "Under the Sun of Satan" that it hooted furiously and the director, Maurice Pialat, yelled right back.

But when Laurent Cantet's masterful "Entre les Murs" won the top prize at the Festival de Cannes on Sunday night -- one of only two unanimous votes, jury president Sean Penn revealed -- the audience erupted in ecstatic rhythmic applause, which only increased as most of the 24 middle-school students who made up the cast joined the director onstage.

Click here to see the rest of Turan's Cannes wrap story.

-- Sheigh Crabtree

Festival de Cannes jury news conference question:
How come Ari Folman's "Waltz With Bashir," the amazing film from Israel, didn't get nothing? There was a huge buzz around it, and it's such a surprise, bad surprise.

Sean Penn, jury president:
"The only thing I would say, I was happy to find out that buzzes mean nothing; this jury was entirely  un-influenced, and I can tell you that I would agree with you, but we had so many prizes to give. There were several people that agreed, most certainly--myself included--it's a film worthy. As I said during the ceremony, there were things that called out, and there were times where we felt that we had almost certainly a certain category fulfilled and then something else would come and provoke us in a different way. There’s not a good answer for this question from me, because while I don't believe that I particularly argued for it, ultimately, I think it's a wonderful movie. I also believe that it is a film that is going to find its audience with or without us."

Alfonso Cuaron, juror:
"It was a film that was well cherished by the jury."

Natalie Portman, juror:
"I think it speaks to the quality of films in competition this year, that a film as good as "Waltz With Bashir" didn't make it, that we had such a good selection. I very much admired the film."

-- Sheigh Crabtree

Photo: Israeli writer and director Ari Folman poses at a photo call for the film "Waltz With Bashir," courtesy Lionel Cironneau / Associated Press.

Choosing from 22 competing films in the Festival de Cannes' official selection, Jury President Sean Penn, with the help of nine jurists, including actress Natalie Portman and director Alfonso Cuaron, unanimously gave the Palme D'or to Laurent Cantet's "The Class," about a teacher who is challenged by his students in a tough junior high school in Paris.

In his acceptance speech Cantet noted he was disappointed that the film business has not been especially open to making films that are slightly offbeat. But with "The Class," he said, he was able to accomplish something ideal to him.

CLICK FOR MORE

Photo: Jury President Sean Penn with director Laurent Cantet and students from Palme D'Or winner "The Class" at the 61st International Cannes Film Festival on May 25, 2008, in Cannes, France. WireImage.

Although the Un Certain Regard jury normally gives just three prizes annually, it gave an extra two prizes this year to films in the Festival de Cannes' Un Certain Regard selection because of the "quality of offerings."

“Our mission was to attribute three prizes for Un Certain Regard, but considering the quality and richness of the offerings, and as a testimony of our great enthusiasm, the jury requested of the festival permission to recognize two more films with honors,” explained Faith Akin, Un Certain Regard Jury president.

"Tulpan," a film about a young Naval officer who returns to life on the Kazakh steppe to a nomadic sheep herding life, won the top prize in the Festival de Cannes' Un Certain Regard selection.

Other standouts in the Un Certain Regard selection include director Kurosawa Kiyoshi's "Tokyo Sonata," which claimed the Jury Prize. Andreas Dresen's "Cloud 9," which one wag described as "The Bucket List" meets "Short Bus," won the Heart Throb prize, no doubt for its ample sex scenes starring a 60-something cast.

A specially named "Knockout" prize was awarded to "Tyson," James Toback's intimate portrait of Mike Tyson told in the boxer's own words.

Lastly, a Prize of Hope was given to Jean-Stephane Sauvaire's "Johnny Mad Dog," about a child-soldier armed to the teeth in Africa and a young refugee trying to protect her disabled father and little brother from the same teenage soldiers.

-- Sheigh Crabtree

See the complete list of winners:

If there is a breakout actor in the films selected for the 61st edition of Festival de Cannes his name is Toni Servillo. The veteran Italian actor stars in not one but two of the most critically praised films in competition: "Il Divo" and "Gomorra."

In "Il Divo," which thanks to director Paolo Sorrentino must have the most stylistic gestalt of any film in competition, Servillo plays Giulio Andreotti, a fixture in Italian government since 1947 who was embroiled in corruption investigations in the 1990s. Servillo plays Andreotti as a physically small but politically unstoppable Machiavelli in a large pair of glasses, exaggerated ears (pinned or prosthetic) and constricted shoulders. It's a physicality that perfectly suits the many nicknames Andreotti goes by -- the Hunchback, the Black Pope, the Man of Darkness and the Fox. 

As counterpoint to his depiction of Andreotti is Servillo's portrayal of Comorra crime boss Franco in "Gomorra," one of five main characters depicted in Matteo Garrone's violent but fabulous expose on the Neapolitan crime clique. As Franco, Servillo plays a brazen and cocksure crime leader in white linen who is physically robust and prone to muscular and threatening gestures.

While the strength of the two Italian films in competition may be more "luck of the draw" than any sign of an Italian film renaissance, there is no question that Toni Servillo's commanding performances are not a fluke. Here are other reviews of Servillo's recent work:

"Il Divo" :

Jay Weissberg, Variety
Not merely chronicling the career of seven-time Italian Prime Minister Giulio Andreotti but also zooming in on the enigmatic politico's character, pic features an astonishing degree of craftsmanship and a towering performance by Toni Servillo.

Mary Corliss, Time.com
As incarnated by Tony Servillo ... Andreotti has the stiff posture of Richard Nixon, but a more imperial menace.

Charles Ealy, Austin 360 Movie Blog
In playing Andreotti, Servillo is reminiscent of Peter Sellers. He’s pitch-perfect in imitation, but also brings an aura of heft.

Wire report, AFP
Shot in Italy's luxury palaces of power, fast-paced "Il Divo" portrays Andreotti as a sometimes comic, sometimes sinister modern-day Machiavelli.

"Gomorrah" :

Wendy Ide, Times Online
The excellent Tony Servillo stars, and, since he also takes the lead in Paolo Sorrentino’s film Il Divo in the festival, looks like a contender for a prize.

Jason Solomons, guardian.co.uk
...the linen-clad fixer (Toni Servillo) organising disposal of toxic waste in a huge quarry, a metaphor for the poisons seeping deep into the earth, the culture.

Lee Marshall, Screen Daily
... Franco (Servillo) is a smooth-talking suited businessman but his business is the illegal 'processing' of toxic waste, an activity that becomes increasingly repellent to his principled young assistant Roberto (Paternoster).

-- Sheigh Crabtree

Photo: Toni Servillo at the Cannes photocall for "Il Divo." WireImage

Cannes '08: Kenneth Turan: 'As always, some of the most satisfying films were not found in the official competition'

Times film critic Kenneth Turan on this year's award winners, some overlooked gems, and cherished revivals:

CANNES, France -- What a difference 21 years makes.

In 1987, the last time a French film won the Palme d'Or, the audience at the Palais du Festival was so angry at the choice of "Under the Sun of Satan" that it hooted furiously and the director, Maurice Pialat, yelled right back.

But when Laurent Cantet's masterful "Entre les Murs" won the top prize at the Festival de Cannes on Sunday night -- one of only two unanimous votes, jury president Sean Penn revealed -- the audience erupted in ecstatic rhythmic applause, which only increased as most of the 24 middle-school students who made up the cast joined the director onstage.

Click here to see the rest of Turan's Cannes wrap story.

-- Sheigh Crabtree

Festival de Cannes jury news conference question:
How come Ari Folman's "Waltz With Bashir," the amazing film from Israel, didn't get nothing? There was a huge buzz around it, and it's such a surprise, bad surprise.

Sean Penn, jury president:
"The only thing I would say, I was happy to find out that buzzes mean nothing; this jury was entirely  un-influenced, and I can tell you that I would agree with you, but we had so many prizes to give. There were several people that agreed, most certainly--myself included--it's a film worthy. As I said during the ceremony, there were things that called out, and there were times where we felt that we had almost certainly a certain category fulfilled and then something else would come and provoke us in a different way. There’s not a good answer for this question from me, because while I don't believe that I particularly argued for it, ultimately, I think it's a wonderful movie. I also believe that it is a film that is going to find its audience with or without us."

Alfonso Cuaron, juror:
"It was a film that was well cherished by the jury."

Natalie Portman, juror:
"I think it speaks to the quality of films in competition this year, that a film as good as "Waltz With Bashir" didn't make it, that we had such a good selection. I very much admired the film."

-- Sheigh Crabtree

Photo: Israeli writer and director Ari Folman poses at a photo call for the film "Waltz With Bashir," courtesy Lionel Cironneau / Associated Press.

Choosing from 22 competing films in the Festival de Cannes' official selection, Jury President Sean Penn, with the help of nine jurists, including actress Natalie Portman and director Alfonso Cuaron, unanimously gave the Palme D'or to Laurent Cantet's "The Class," about a teacher who is challenged by his students in a tough junior high school in Paris.

In his acceptance speech Cantet noted he was disappointed that the film business has not been especially open to making films that are slightly offbeat. But with "The Class," he said, he was able to accomplish something ideal to him.

CLICK FOR MORE

Photo: Jury President Sean Penn with director Laurent Cantet and students from Palme D'Or winner "The Class" at the 61st International Cannes Film Festival on May 25, 2008, in Cannes, France. WireImage.

Although the Un Certain Regard jury normally gives just three prizes annually, it gave an extra two prizes this year to films in the Festival de Cannes' Un Certain Regard selection because of the "quality of offerings."

“Our mission was to attribute three prizes for Un Certain Regard, but considering the quality and richness of the offerings, and as a testimony of our great enthusiasm, the jury requested of the festival permission to recognize two more films with honors,” explained Faith Akin, Un Certain Regard Jury president.

"Tulpan," a film about a young Naval officer who returns to life on the Kazakh steppe to a nomadic sheep herding life, won the top prize in the Festival de Cannes' Un Certain Regard selection.

Other standouts in the Un Certain Regard selection include director Kurosawa Kiyoshi's "Tokyo Sonata," which claimed the Jury Prize. Andreas Dresen's "Cloud 9," which one wag described as "The Bucket List" meets "Short Bus," won the Heart Throb prize, no doubt for its ample sex scenes starring a 60-something cast.

A specially named "Knockout" prize was awarded to "Tyson," James Toback's intimate portrait of Mike Tyson told in the boxer's own words.

Lastly, a Prize of Hope was given to Jean-Stephane Sauvaire's "Johnny Mad Dog," about a child-soldier armed to the teeth in Africa and a young refugee trying to protect her disabled father and little brother from the same teenage soldiers.

-- Sheigh Crabtree

See the complete list of winners:

If there is a breakout actor in the films selected for the 61st edition of Festival de Cannes his name is Toni Servillo. The veteran Italian actor stars in not one but two of the most critically praised films in competition: "Il Divo" and "Gomorra."

In "Il Divo," which thanks to director Paolo Sorrentino must have the most stylistic gestalt of any film in competition, Servillo plays Giulio Andreotti, a fixture in Italian government since 1947 who was embroiled in corruption investigations in the 1990s. Servillo plays Andreotti as a physically small but politically unstoppable Machiavelli in a large pair of glasses, exaggerated ears (pinned or prosthetic) and constricted shoulders. It's a physicality that perfectly suits the many nicknames Andreotti goes by -- the Hunchback, the Black Pope, the Man of Darkness and the Fox. 

As counterpoint to his depiction of Andreotti is Servillo's portrayal of Comorra crime boss Franco in "Gomorra," one of five main characters depicted in Matteo Garrone's violent but fabulous expose on the Neapolitan crime clique. As Franco, Servillo plays a brazen and cocksure crime leader in white linen who is physically robust and prone to muscular and threatening gestures.

While the strength of the two Italian films in competition may be more "luck of the draw" than any sign of an Italian film renaissance, there is no question that Toni Servillo's commanding performances are not a fluke. Here are other reviews of Servillo's recent work:

"Il Divo" :

Jay Weissberg, Variety
Not merely chronicling the career of seven-time Italian Prime Minister Giulio Andreotti but also zooming in on the enigmatic politico's character, pic features an astonishing degree of craftsmanship and a towering performance by Toni Servillo.

Mary Corliss, Time.com
As incarnated by Tony Servillo ... Andreotti has the stiff posture of Richard Nixon, but a more imperial menace.

Charles Ealy, Austin 360 Movie Blog
In playing Andreotti, Servillo is reminiscent of Peter Sellers. He’s pitch-perfect in imitation, but also brings an aura of heft.

Wire report, AFP
Shot in Italy's luxury palaces of power, fast-paced "Il Divo" portrays Andreotti as a sometimes comic, sometimes sinister modern-day Machiavelli.

"Gomorrah" :

Wendy Ide, Times Online
The excellent Tony Servillo stars, and, since he also takes the lead in Paolo Sorrentino’s film Il Divo in the festival, looks like a contender for a prize.

Jason Solomons, guardian.co.uk
...the linen-clad fixer (Toni Servillo) organising disposal of toxic waste in a huge quarry, a metaphor for the poisons seeping deep into the earth, the culture.

Lee Marshall, Screen Daily
... Franco (Servillo) is a smooth-talking suited businessman but his business is the illegal 'processing' of toxic waste, an activity that becomes increasingly repellent to his principled young assistant Roberto (Paternoster).

-- Sheigh Crabtree

Photo: Toni Servillo at the Cannes photocall for "Il Divo." WireImage

Cannes '08: Jurors Sean Penn, Alfonso Cuaron, Natalie Portman on why 'Waltz With Bashir' was overlooked

Festival de Cannes jury news conference question:
How come Ari Folman's "Waltz With Bashir," the amazing film from Israel, didn't get nothing? There was a huge buzz around it, and it's such a surprise, bad surprise.

Sean Penn, jury president:
"The only thing I would say, I was happy to find out that buzzes mean nothing; this jury was entirely  un-influenced, and I can tell you that I would agree with you, but we had so many prizes to give. There were several people that agreed, most certainly--myself included--it's a film worthy. As I said during the ceremony, there were things that called out, and there were times where we felt that we had almost certainly a certain category fulfilled and then something else would come and provoke us in a different way. There’s not a good answer for this question from me, because while I don't believe that I particularly argued for it, ultimately, I think it's a wonderful movie. I also believe that it is a film that is going to find its audience with or without us."

Alfonso Cuaron, juror:
"It was a film that was well cherished by the jury."

Natalie Portman, juror:
"I think it speaks to the quality of films in competition this year, that a film as good as "Waltz With Bashir" didn't make it, that we had such a good selection. I very much admired the film."

-- Sheigh Crabtree

Photo: Israeli writer and director Ari Folman poses at a photo call for the film "Waltz With Bashir," courtesy Lionel Cironneau / Associated Press.

Choosing from 22 competing films in the Festival de Cannes' official selection, Jury President Sean Penn, with the help of nine jurists, including actress Natalie Portman and director Alfonso Cuaron, unanimously gave the Palme D'or to Laurent Cantet's "The Class," about a teacher who is challenged by his students in a tough junior high school in Paris.

In his acceptance speech Cantet noted he was disappointed that the film business has not been especially open to making films that are slightly offbeat. But with "The Class," he said, he was able to accomplish something ideal to him.

CLICK FOR MORE

Photo: Jury President Sean Penn with director Laurent Cantet and students from Palme D'Or winner "The Class" at the 61st International Cannes Film Festival on May 25, 2008, in Cannes, France. WireImage.

Although the Un Certain Regard jury normally gives just three prizes annually, it gave an extra two prizes this year to films in the Festival de Cannes' Un Certain Regard selection because of the "quality of offerings."

“Our mission was to attribute three prizes for Un Certain Regard, but considering the quality and richness of the offerings, and as a testimony of our great enthusiasm, the jury requested of the festival permission to recognize two more films with honors,” explained Faith Akin, Un Certain Regard Jury president.

"Tulpan," a film about a young Naval officer who returns to life on the Kazakh steppe to a nomadic sheep herding life, won the top prize in the Festival de Cannes' Un Certain Regard selection.

Other standouts in the Un Certain Regard selection include director Kurosawa Kiyoshi's "Tokyo Sonata," which claimed the Jury Prize. Andreas Dresen's "Cloud 9," which one wag described as "The Bucket List" meets "Short Bus," won the Heart Throb prize, no doubt for its ample sex scenes starring a 60-something cast.

A specially named "Knockout" prize was awarded to "Tyson," James Toback's intimate portrait of Mike Tyson told in the boxer's own words.

Lastly, a Prize of Hope was given to Jean-Stephane Sauvaire's "Johnny Mad Dog," about a child-soldier armed to the teeth in Africa and a young refugee trying to protect her disabled father and little brother from the same teenage soldiers.

-- Sheigh Crabtree

See the complete list of winners:

If there is a breakout actor in the films selected for the 61st edition of Festival de Cannes his name is Toni Servillo. The veteran Italian actor stars in not one but two of the most critically praised films in competition: "Il Divo" and "Gomorra."

In "Il Divo," which thanks to director Paolo Sorrentino must have the most stylistic gestalt of any film in competition, Servillo plays Giulio Andreotti, a fixture in Italian government since 1947 who was embroiled in corruption investigations in the 1990s. Servillo plays Andreotti as a physically small but politically unstoppable Machiavelli in a large pair of glasses, exaggerated ears (pinned or prosthetic) and constricted shoulders. It's a physicality that perfectly suits the many nicknames Andreotti goes by -- the Hunchback, the Black Pope, the Man of Darkness and the Fox. 

As counterpoint to his depiction of Andreotti is Servillo's portrayal of Comorra crime boss Franco in "Gomorra," one of five main characters depicted in Matteo Garrone's violent but fabulous expose on the Neapolitan crime clique. As Franco, Servillo plays a brazen and cocksure crime leader in white linen who is physically robust and prone to muscular and threatening gestures.

While the strength of the two Italian films in competition may be more "luck of the draw" than any sign of an Italian film renaissance, there is no question that Toni Servillo's commanding performances are not a fluke. Here are other reviews of Servillo's recent work:

"Il Divo" :

Jay Weissberg, Variety
Not merely chronicling the career of seven-time Italian Prime Minister Giulio Andreotti but also zooming in on the enigmatic politico's character, pic features an astonishing degree of craftsmanship and a towering performance by Toni Servillo.

Mary Corliss, Time.com
As incarnated by Tony Servillo ... Andreotti has the stiff posture of Richard Nixon, but a more imperial menace.

Charles Ealy, Austin 360 Movie Blog
In playing Andreotti, Servillo is reminiscent of Peter Sellers. He’s pitch-perfect in imitation, but also brings an aura of heft.

Wire report, AFP
Shot in Italy's luxury palaces of power, fast-paced "Il Divo" portrays Andreotti as a sometimes comic, sometimes sinister modern-day Machiavelli.

"Gomorrah" :

Wendy Ide, Times Online
The excellent Tony Servillo stars, and, since he also takes the lead in Paolo Sorrentino’s film Il Divo in the festival, looks like a contender for a prize.

Jason Solomons, guardian.co.uk
...the linen-clad fixer (Toni Servillo) organising disposal of toxic waste in a huge quarry, a metaphor for the poisons seeping deep into the earth, the culture.

Lee Marshall, Screen Daily
... Franco (Servillo) is a smooth-talking suited businessman but his business is the illegal 'processing' of toxic waste, an activity that becomes increasingly repellent to his principled young assistant Roberto (Paternoster).

-- Sheigh Crabtree

Photo: Toni Servillo at the Cannes photocall for "Il Divo." WireImage

Cannes '08: Palme d'Or winner 'The Class,' others include 'Gomorra,' director Nuri Bilge Ceylan, actor Benicio Del Toro, 'Hunger'

Choosing from 22 competing films in the Festival de Cannes' official selection, Jury President Sean Penn, with the help of nine jurists, including actress Natalie Portman and director Alfonso Cuaron, unanimously gave the Palme D'or to Laurent Cantet's "The Class," about a teacher who is challenged by his students in a tough junior high school in Paris.

In his acceptance speech Cantet noted he was disappointed that the film business has not been especially open to making films that are slightly offbeat. But with "The Class," he said, he was able to accomplish something ideal to him.

CLICK FOR MORE

Photo: Jury President Sean Penn with director Laurent Cantet and students from Palme D'Or winner "The Class" at the 61st International Cannes Film Festival on May 25, 2008, in Cannes, France. WireImage.

Although the Un Certain Regard jury normally gives just three prizes annually, it gave an extra two prizes this year to films in the Festival de Cannes' Un Certain Regard selection because of the "quality of offerings."

“Our mission was to attribute three prizes for Un Certain Regard, but considering the quality and richness of the offerings, and as a testimony of our great enthusiasm, the jury requested of the festival permission to recognize two more films with honors,” explained Faith Akin, Un Certain Regard Jury president.

"Tulpan," a film about a young Naval officer who returns to life on the Kazakh steppe to a nomadic sheep herding life, won the top prize in the Festival de Cannes' Un Certain Regard selection.

Other standouts in the Un Certain Regard selection include director Kurosawa Kiyoshi's "Tokyo Sonata," which claimed the Jury Prize. Andreas Dresen's "Cloud 9," which one wag described as "The Bucket List" meets "Short Bus," won the Heart Throb prize, no doubt for its ample sex scenes starring a 60-something cast.

A specially named "Knockout" prize was awarded to "Tyson," James Toback's intimate portrait of Mike Tyson told in the boxer's own words.

Lastly, a Prize of Hope was given to Jean-Stephane Sauvaire's "Johnny Mad Dog," about a child-soldier armed to the teeth in Africa and a young refugee trying to protect her disabled father and little brother from the same teenage soldiers.

-- Sheigh Crabtree

See the complete list of winners:

If there is a breakout actor in the films selected for the 61st edition of Festival de Cannes his name is Toni Servillo. The veteran Italian actor stars in not one but two of the most critically praised films in competition: "Il Divo" and "Gomorra."

In "Il Divo," which thanks to director Paolo Sorrentino must have the most stylistic gestalt of any film in competition, Servillo plays Giulio Andreotti, a fixture in Italian government since 1947 who was embroiled in corruption investigations in the 1990s. Servillo plays Andreotti as a physically small but politically unstoppable Machiavelli in a large pair of glasses, exaggerated ears (pinned or prosthetic) and constricted shoulders. It's a physicality that perfectly suits the many nicknames Andreotti goes by -- the Hunchback, the Black Pope, the Man of Darkness and the Fox. 

As counterpoint to his depiction of Andreotti is Servillo's portrayal of Comorra crime boss Franco in "Gomorra," one of five main characters depicted in Matteo Garrone's violent but fabulous expose on the Neapolitan crime clique. As Franco, Servillo plays a brazen and cocksure crime leader in white linen who is physically robust and prone to muscular and threatening gestures.

While the strength of the two Italian films in competition may be more "luck of the draw" than any sign of an Italian film renaissance, there is no question that Toni Servillo's commanding performances are not a fluke. Here are other reviews of Servillo's recent work:

"Il Divo" :

Jay Weissberg, Variety
Not merely chronicling the career of seven-time Italian Prime Minister Giulio Andreotti but also zooming in on the enigmatic politico's character, pic features an astonishing degree of craftsmanship and a towering performance by Toni Servillo.

Mary Corliss, Time.com
As incarnated by Tony Servillo ... Andreotti has the stiff posture of Richard Nixon, but a more imperial menace.

Charles Ealy, Austin 360 Movie Blog
In playing Andreotti, Servillo is reminiscent of Peter Sellers. He’s pitch-perfect in imitation, but also brings an aura of heft.

Wire report, AFP
Shot in Italy's luxury palaces of power, fast-paced "Il Divo" portrays Andreotti as a sometimes comic, sometimes sinister modern-day Machiavelli.

"Gomorrah" :

Wendy Ide, Times Online
The excellent Tony Servillo stars, and, since he also takes the lead in Paolo Sorrentino’s film Il Divo in the festival, looks like a contender for a prize.

Jason Solomons, guardian.co.uk
...the linen-clad fixer (Toni Servillo) organising disposal of toxic waste in a huge quarry, a metaphor for the poisons seeping deep into the earth, the culture.

Lee Marshall, Screen Daily
... Franco (Servillo) is a smooth-talking suited businessman but his business is the illegal 'processing' of toxic waste, an activity that becomes increasingly repellent to his principled young assistant Roberto (Paternoster).

-- Sheigh Crabtree

Photo: Toni Servillo at the Cannes photocall for "Il Divo." WireImage

Cannes '08: Un Certain Regard winners: 'Tulpan,' 'Tokyo Sonata,' 'Wolke 9,' 'Tyson' and 'Johnny Mad Dog'

Although the Un Certain Regard jury normally gives just three prizes annually, it gave an extra two prizes this year to films in the Festival de Cannes' Un Certain Regard selection because of the "quality of offerings."

“Our mission was to attribute three prizes for Un Certain Regard, but considering the quality and richness of the offerings, and as a testimony of our great enthusiasm, the jury requested of the festival permission to recognize two more films with honors,” explained Faith Akin, Un Certain Regard Jury president.

"Tulpan," a film about a young Naval officer who returns to life on the Kazakh steppe to a nomadic sheep herding life, won the top prize in the Festival de Cannes' Un Certain Regard selection.

Other standouts in the Un Certain Regard selection include director Kurosawa Kiyoshi's "Tokyo Sonata," which claimed the Jury Prize. Andreas Dresen's "Cloud 9," which one wag described as "The Bucket List" meets "Short Bus," won the Heart Throb prize, no doubt for its ample sex scenes starring a 60-something cast.

A specially named "Knockout" prize was awarded to "Tyson," James Toback's intimate portrait of Mike Tyson told in the boxer's own words.

Lastly, a Prize of Hope was given to Jean-Stephane Sauvaire's "Johnny Mad Dog," about a child-soldier armed to the teeth in Africa and a young refugee trying to protect her disabled father and little brother from the same teenage soldiers.

-- Sheigh Crabtree

See the complete list of winners:

If there is a breakout actor in the films selected for the 61st edition of Festival de Cannes his name is Toni Servillo. The veteran Italian actor stars in not one but two of the most critically praised films in competition: "Il Divo" and "Gomorra."

In "Il Divo," which thanks to director Paolo Sorrentino must have the most stylistic gestalt of any film in competition, Servillo plays Giulio Andreotti, a fixture in Italian government since 1947 who was embroiled in corruption investigations in the 1990s. Servillo plays Andreotti as a physically small but politically unstoppable Machiavelli in a large pair of glasses, exaggerated ears (pinned or prosthetic) and constricted shoulders. It's a physicality that perfectly suits the many nicknames Andreotti goes by -- the Hunchback, the Black Pope, the Man of Darkness and the Fox. 

As counterpoint to his depiction of Andreotti is Servillo's portrayal of Comorra crime boss Franco in "Gomorra," one of five main characters depicted in Matteo Garrone's violent but fabulous expose on the Neapolitan crime clique. As Franco, Servillo plays a brazen and cocksure crime leader in white linen who is physically robust and prone to muscular and threatening gestures.

While the strength of the two Italian films in competition may be more "luck of the draw" than any sign of an Italian film renaissance, there is no question that Toni Servillo's commanding performances are not a fluke. Here are other reviews of Servillo's recent work:

"Il Divo" :

Jay Weissberg, Variety
Not merely chronicling the career of seven-time Italian Prime Minister Giulio Andreotti but also zooming in on the enigmatic politico's character, pic features an astonishing degree of craftsmanship and a towering performance by Toni Servillo.

Mary Corliss, Time.com
As incarnated by Tony Servillo ... Andreotti has the stiff posture of Richard Nixon, but a more imperial menace.

Charles Ealy, Austin 360 Movie Blog
In playing Andreotti, Servillo is reminiscent of Peter Sellers. He’s pitch-perfect in imitation, but also brings an aura of heft.

Wire report, AFP
Shot in Italy's luxury palaces of power, fast-paced "Il Divo" portrays Andreotti as a sometimes comic, sometimes sinister modern-day Machiavelli.

"Gomorrah" :

Wendy Ide, Times Online
The excellent Tony Servillo stars, and, since he also takes the lead in Paolo Sorrentino’s film Il Divo in the festival, looks like a contender for a prize.

Jason Solomons, guardian.co.uk
...the linen-clad fixer (Toni Servillo) organising disposal of toxic waste in a huge quarry, a metaphor for the poisons seeping deep into the earth, the culture.

Lee Marshall, Screen Daily
... Franco (Servillo) is a smooth-talking suited businessman but his business is the illegal 'processing' of toxic waste, an activity that becomes increasingly repellent to his principled young assistant Roberto (Paternoster).

-- Sheigh Crabtree

Photo: Toni Servillo at the Cannes photocall for "Il Divo." WireImage

Cannes '08: In praise of Toni Servillo, star of 'Il Divo,' 'Gomorra'

If there is a breakout actor in the films selected for the 61st edition of Festival de Cannes his name is Toni Servillo. The veteran Italian actor stars in not one but two of the most critically praised films in competition: "Il Divo" and "Gomorra."

In "Il Divo," which thanks to director Paolo Sorrentino must have the most stylistic gestalt of any film in competition, Servillo plays Giulio Andreotti, a fixture in Italian government since 1947 who was embroiled in corruption investigations in the 1990s. Servillo plays Andreotti as a physically small but politically unstoppable Machiavelli in a large pair of glasses, exaggerated ears (pinned or prosthetic) and constricted shoulders. It's a physicality that perfectly suits the many nicknames Andreotti goes by -- the Hunchback, the Black Pope, the Man of Darkness and the Fox. 

As counterpoint to his depiction of Andreotti is Servillo's portrayal of Comorra crime boss Franco in "Gomorra," one of five main characters depicted in Matteo Garrone's violent but fabulous expose on the Neapolitan crime clique. As Franco, Servillo plays a brazen and cocksure crime leader in white linen who is physically robust and prone to muscular and threatening gestures.

While the strength of the two Italian films in competition may be more "luck of the draw" than any sign of an Italian film renaissance, there is no question that Toni Servillo's commanding performances are not a fluke. Here are other reviews of Servillo's recent work:

"Il Divo" :

Jay Weissberg, Variety
Not merely chronicling the career of seven-time Italian Prime Minister Giulio Andreotti but also zooming in on the enigmatic politico's character, pic features an astonishing degree of craftsmanship and a towering performance by Toni Servillo.

Mary Corliss, Time.com
As incarnated by Tony Servillo ... Andreotti has the stiff posture of Richard Nixon, but a more imperial menace.

Charles Ealy, Austin 360 Movie Blog
In playing Andreotti, Servillo is reminiscent of Peter Sellers. He’s pitch-perfect in imitation, but also brings an aura of heft.

Wire report, AFP
Shot in Italy's luxury palaces of power, fast-paced "Il Divo" portrays Andreotti as a sometimes comic, sometimes sinister modern-day Machiavelli.

"Gomorrah" :

Wendy Ide, Times Online
The excellent Tony Servillo stars, and, since he also takes the lead in Paolo Sorrentino’s film Il Divo in the festival, looks like a contender for a prize.

Jason Solomons, guardian.co.uk
...the linen-clad fixer (Toni Servillo) organising disposal of toxic waste in a huge quarry, a metaphor for the poisons seeping deep into the earth, the culture.

Lee Marshall, Screen Daily
... Franco (Servillo) is a smooth-talking suited businessman but his business is the illegal 'processing' of toxic waste, an activity that becomes increasingly repellent to his principled young assistant Roberto (Paternoster).

-- Sheigh Crabtree

Photo: Toni Servillo at the Cannes photocall for "Il Divo." WireImage