French director Justine Triet won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival today, Saturday, for her film "Anatomy of a Fall," largely set in a courtroom. Triet became the third woman to win the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival, clinching the award from a lineup of 20 films in the official competition. Triet expressed surprise at being only the third woman to win the award, noting that "the decision is encouraging regarding the future." She commented after her win, "We are witnessing the dawn of profound radical changes in this regard."
Triet had previously been nominated for the award in 2019 for her film "Sibyl," but this time she surpassed seasoned directors like Hirokazu Kore-eda, Ken Loach, and Wim Wenders, each of whom already has at least one Palme d'Or to their name. She follows in the footsteps of New Zealander Jane Campion and French director Julia Ducournau as the only women to win the award. This year's competition featured a record number of seven female directors.
American actress Jane Fonda, who presented the award, stated, "One day it will be normal for a woman to win, not something historic," adding, "We have a long way to go. But we must celebrate change when it happens."
The Grand Prix, the second award after the Palme d'Or, went to British director Jonathan Glazer for "The Zone of Interest," which tells the story of a family living near the Auschwitz camp. Japanese actor Koji Yakusho won the Best Actor award for his role as a Tokyo toilet cleaner who enjoys reading books and listening to music in Wim Wenders' film "Perfect Days." The Jury Prize went to "Fallen Leaves" by Finnish director Aki Kaurismäki, who returned to the competition after a ten-year absence; the award was accepted on his behalf by the film's lead actors, depicting a budding love story between a young woman and a drunken worker.
The Best Director award went to French-Vietnamese director Tran Anh Hung for "The Pot-Au-Feu," starring Juliette Binoche and Benoît Magimel.
