Suprises at Cannes 2010 awards

Cannes 2010 awards full of surprises as final winners were at odds with the popular vote
Giving the Palme d’Or to the elliptic, mythic Thai film Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives stunned festival audiences as it by passed favourites such as Mike Leigh’s Another Year, the Korean film Poetry (which bagged the Best Script) and Of Gods and Men, which won the Grand Prix.
The presenter, English actress Kristin Scott-Thomas, constantly prodded Jury president Tim Burton on stage to name the award winners.
His announcements didn’t get more than some polite response because this year’s awards were mostly at odds with the popular vote. The award for Best Actor (shared) and Best Actress (see box) in particular were unpopular choices. The top award in the Un Certain Regard section was bagged by HaHaHa. This section was considered to have many high quality films, which even surpassed films in the main competition.
Cannes 2010 closed on a note of good cheer with audiences responding warmly to its line-up of films. The themes this year centered mainly on public issues concerning war and the private hell of loneliness in today’s world. A majority of the entries were highly political.
When the Jury was asked why they awarded the more non-political films, they came up with the somewhat tame reply that even personal films are political in a sense.
A film, Outside of the Law by Rachid Bouchareb, was about three Algerian brothers whose lives are torn apart by the brutality of the French administration. The screenings for the only time in the Festival brought out uniformed security. The creditable fact is that Cannes screened quite a few films deeply critical of France.
Although India was present in full force, there was an aspect of it that raised comment. The much touted India Pavilion left much to be desired when it came to furthering the cause of Indian cinema. Its décor was unimpressive, seating arrangements were inadequate, and its daily panel discussions were disorganised.
The same people gathered there as a matter of course for relaxation and not for work or business meetings. Next time, the India Pavilion should be under the professional management of the NFDC, which has proved its market and business mettle in recent years.
Cannes Awards
Palme d’Or: Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives (Thailand)