Chaz Ebert reveals the winners of the 78th edition of the Cannes Film Festival; watch the video and read the transcript below.
Chaz:
The prizes for the 78th edition of the Cannes Film Festival have been awarded. And we have all the details for you. Unlike previous years, with lots of pomp and circumstance, this year’s awards night did not feature any musical performances nor the presentation of an honorary Palme d’Or. They just got right into the awards, so we’ll do the same. Before the major awards, the Short Film Palme d’Or was presented to Tawfeek Barhom for his film “I’m Glad You’re Dead Now.”
At the press conference, Barhom talked about how he initially became an actor to get closer to the film business and eventually he developed the relationship with the legendary director Terrence Malick.
Tawfeek Barhom:
So every film I’ve done, I did much more than acting. With Terrence Malick, he gave me a camera and I would shoot some stuff sometimes, and, we were together all the time. He wouldn’t start a scene without me. At the beginning of the first week, he wanted to fire me, but then everything flipped, and, he sort of tested me with, like, a big scene, and he started to like me. And this movie really is thanks to him. He gave me a letter of recommendation.
And with that letter, I went to the biggest studio in Greece. And I gave them the letter and they were like, yeah, of course we’re going to, we’re going to do this movie.
Chaz:
The Camera d’Or award for first time feature filmmaker had a special mention awarded to Akinola Davies, Jr. for “My Father’s Shadow”, and the main award was presented by jury President Alice Rohrwacher to “The President’s Cake” by Director Hasan Hadi.
Now, these were the first Cannes awards ever presented to films from Nigeria and Iraq.
The first major award was presented to Chinese director Bi Gan for his avant garde film that spanned the history of cinema: “Resurrection.”
I was thrilled to see Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne win a prize for Best Screenplay for “Young Mothers”, a film that touched me deeply. This was the ninth Cannes prize for the brothers from Belgium over their long career, and earlier in the day, I spoke to the Dardenne brothers about what their film meant to me.
I’m a little nervous because this is a very personal for me. I love your work so much. And there’s a question at the end of this, but I want to tell you, I was so moved by this because I was a teen mother. I was, 16, and I got kicked out of college. I was in college.
I got kicked out. It was a stigma, ugly stigma to be African-American and pregnant at that time. This was in the 70s. So my son and daughter are very old now, and I thought I had put all of that behind me until I saw your movie, and I saw how young these girls were in the film.
And I wondered, was I ever that young? I’m going to get to my question, but I didn’t know I was going to get emotional.
Excuse me. Your movies have so much goodness in them. So much empathy. To me, one of the most noble things cinema can do is make you feel something. Put yourself in the shoes of someone else who is different than you, and allow you to understand them a little bit, and to make people bring people together. That’s why I love your movies so much, and I want to know where does that inherent goodness in every one of your movies, whether you’re talking about “Rosetta”, “L’enfant”, “Le Fils” so many of your movies, I see a kernel that you have a moral core, and there’s an inherent goodness.
Where does it come from? Does it come from your upbringing? Does it come from working with each other? What is it about you that make your movies like this? Thank you.
Jean-Pierre Dardenne:
Yes. Thank you, thank you. And now in French.
Without, using lofty words, I think as a film maker, as a human being as well. Who is a film maker? We are film makers. We’re truly, really, absolutely interested in our characters. We want our characters to be present, as present as possible. The picturesque and not picturesque, ranging from their manners, their friends, the way they talk, the way they move.
They must be very present. Because basically, we truly love our characters. We love Rian, we truly love Julie. We love them all. We love for them truly. To be able to exist before the camera, to be as present as possible. Because as to the remainder in the film, what accounts for a movement? Why do characters move this way or that?
It’s because we always try to find the way in which these characters are going to be as present on the screen as possible. Sometimes it’s just a take a closeup for a couple of seconds that may suffice. That’s what interests us, the human being. How as simply as possible, can you film human beings so they’re really present and say something to you as a spectator?
Move the spectator to the extent that some viewers, some members of the audience, sense things vibrate within themselves and they’re not the same when they leave the room as when they entered it.
Chaz:
The Jury Prize was split between the unconventional road movie “Sirât”, by director Oliver Laxe and the German film “Sound of Falling” by Mascha Schilinski.
In a bit of a surprise, the best actress award went to Nadia Melliti in her first career role, who played a young woman discovering her sexuality within a conservative culture in French Algeria in “Little Sister.”
Nadia Melliti:
I think that the people who go to see the film will probably understand this message of tolerance, tolerance towards other people. We live in a society that’s quite complex, and I believe that what we have seen through this character, will make it possible to engage in discussions and to think about some topics which are fairly tricky to address.
In France in particular, it’s important for me to convey this message, and if it’s of benefit to young people who can identify with this story, then I feel very happy and proud.
Chaz:
The best actor award went to Wagner Moura for his performance in “The Secret Agent.” Mr. Moura was unable to be present, so the award was accepted on his behalf by his director Kleber Mendonça Filho.
Filho, who also picked up the Best Director prize for “The Secret Agent” although it took him a few minutes to reach the stage.
Eventually, Wagner Moura was able to sort of make an appearance at the press conference.
Filho:
So would you say a few words? I think in English, because we have many, international journalists this evening.
Wagner Moura:
I so wish I was there with all of you. But I’m here by myself, having a glass of wine in London alone. I couldn’t be happier. This was such an important moment of my life, just to work with Kleber, to be with him. I’ve been trying to work with him for many years, and I’m very, very happy for all this, to do it for the way this film has been received, because this is a Brazilian film film and it means a lot to Brazil culture.
And I just think it’s a shame I’m celebrating by myself. I wish I was there with all of you. Right now. Thank you very much.
Chaz:
The Grand Prix, the grand prize was presented to Joachim Trier for his film about family, fatherhood and film making: “Sentimental Value”, starring Renata Reinsve, Stellan Skarsgård and Elle Fanning.
Finally, it was time to present the top prize, the Palme d’Or. And the award presented by jury president Madame Juliette Binoche and Madame Cate Blanchett, went to “It Was Just an Accident” from exiled Iranian director Jafar Panahi.
Panahi:
No I don’t view this in any personal way. I think that people in the Iranian cinema have had to fight hard to reach this point.
All my colleagues have worked in even more difficult circumstances than I at the time. Nobody knew about Iranian cinema in the world, but these other people laid the foundations of the Iranian cinema and enabled us to reach this point today.
Chaz:
Earlier in the day, I had announced that I was presenting the same film with the inaugural F.E.C.K./Cannes Award for depicting forgiveness, empathy, compassion and kindness.
That’s it for Cannes 2025. Although I’ve been coming to Cannes for many years, with everything going on in the world today, this edition felt different. I felt an immense gratitude to be surrounded by the magical world of movies and people from countries all over the world who love them here. That world of dreams and reality integrate in a way that bring people together.
And we are so grateful that you have joined us along the way. We can’t wait to see you again next year on the croisette and in the movie theaters. And until then, au revoir.
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