CANNES, France — Director Laurent Cantent's "The Class" captured top honors yesterday as the 2008 Cannes Film Festival came to a conclusion.
Cantent's work won the prized Golden Palm award, becoming the first French film to capture the honor since 1987's "Under Satan's Sun."
The docudrama was shot in a raw, improvisational style that utilized real students and teachers to capture the drama that unfolds over one year at a junior high school.
The selection was a unanimous decision by the nine-member Cannes panel, which was headed this year by Sean Penn.
61st Annual Cannes Film Festival Winners List:
Palme d'Or: "The Class," Laurent Cantet (France).
Grand Prize: "Gomorrah," Matteo Garrone (Italy).
Jury Prize: "Il Divo," Paolo Sorrentino (Italy).
Special 61st Anniversary Prizes: Catherine Deneuve (France) and Clint Eastwood (United States).
Best Director: "Three Monkeys," Nuri Bilge Ceylan (Turkey).
Best Actor: Benicio Del Toro, "Che" (United States).
Best Actress: Sandra Corveloni, "Linha de Passe" (Brazil).
Best Screenplay: "Lorna's Silence," Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne (Belgium).
Golden Camera (first-time director): "Hunger," Steve McQueen (Britain).
Best short film: "Megatron," Marian Crisan (Romania).
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