2008 Cannes Film Festival

The 61st Annual Cannes Film Festival was held from 14 to 25 May 2008. The President of the Official Jury was American actor and director Sean Penn. Twenty two films from fourteen countries were selected to compete for the Palme d'Or. The awards were announced on 24 May, French film The Class, directed by Laurent Cantet, was awarded the Palme.

The festival opened with Blindness, directed by Fernando Meirelles and closed with What Just Happened, directed by Barry Levinson. Édouard Baer was the master of ceremonies. Hunger, directed by Steve McQueen, opened the Un Certain Regard section.

The British press reported the list of films in competition this year was notable for its absence of British films for the second successive year. In addition to films selected for competition this year, major Hollywood productions such as Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull and Kung Fu Panda had their world premieres at the festival.

Main competition
The following people were appointed as the Jury for the feature films of the 2008 Official Selection:
 * Sean Penn, American actor and director - Jury President
 * Jeanne Balibar, French actress and singer
 * Rachid Bouchareb, Franco-Algerian director
 * Sergio Castellitto, Italian actor and director
 * Alfonso Cuaron, Mexican filmmaker
 * Alexandra Maria Lara, German-Romanian actress
 * Natalie Portman, Israeli-American actress
 * Marjane Satrapi, Iranian-French author and director
 * Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Thai filmmaker

Un Certain Regard

 * Fatih Akin, Turkish-German director - Jury President
 * Anupama Chopra, Indian film critic and author
 * Yasser Moheb, critic
 * Yekaterina Mtsituridze, Russian journalist
 * José Maria Prado, Spanish filmoteca manager

Cinefondation and Short Films Competition

 * Hou Hsiao-hsien, Taiwanese filmmaker - Jury President
 * Olivier Assayas, French filmmaker
 * Susanne Bier, Danish filmmaker
 * Marina Hands, French actress
 * Laurence Kardish, American curator

Caméra d'Or

 * Bruno Dumont, French filmmaker - Jury President
 * Isabelle Danel, critic
 * Jean-Michel Frodon, French critic
 * Monique Kourdine, French member of the Fédération des Industries Tech
 * Willy Kurant, Belgian cinematographer
 * Jean Henri Roger, French director

In Competition
The following feature films competed for the Palme d'Or:

Un Certain Regard
The following films were selected for the competition of Un Certain Regard:

Out of Competition
The following films were selected to be screened out of competition:


 * The Chaser (Chugyeogja) by Na Hong-jin (South Korea)
 * The Good, the Bad, the Weird (Joheunnom nabbeunnom isanghannom) by Kim Jee-woon (South Korea)
 * Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull by Steven Spielberg (United States)
 * Kung Fu Panda by John Stevenson and Mark Osborne (United States)
 * Maradona by Emir Kusturica (Serbia)
 * Surveillance by Jennifer Chambers Lynch (United States)
 * Vicky Cristina Barcelona by Woody Allen (United States)
 * What Just Happened? by directed by Barry Levinson (United States)

Special Screenings
The following films were selected for the Special Screenings:


 * Ashes of Time Redux by Wong Kar-wai (China)
 * C'est dur d'être aimé par des cons by Daniel Leconte (France)
 * Chelsea on the Rocks by Abel Ferrara (United States)
 * Of Time and the City by Terence Davies (United Kingdom)
 * Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired by Marina Zenovich (United States, United Kingdom)
 * The Third Wave by Alison Thompson (United States, Sri Lanka)
 * Wild Blood (Sanguepazzo) by Marco Tullio Giordana (Italy, France)

Cinéfondation
The following short films were selected for the competition of Cinéfondation:


 * August 15th (Ba yue shi wu) by Jiang Xuan
 * Blind Spot by Johanna Bessiere, Nicolas Chauvelot, Olivier Clert, Cécile Dubois Herry, Yvon Jardel, Simon Rouby
 * El Reloj (The Watch) by Marco Berger
 * Et dans mon coeur j'emporterai (And I’ll Keep in My Heart) by Yoon Sung-A
 * Forbach by Claire Burger
 * Gata by Diana Mkrtchyan
 * Gestern In Eden (The Other Day In Eden) by Jan Speckenbach
 * Himnon (Anthem) by Elad Keidan
 * Illusion Dwellers by Robb Ellender
 * Interior. Scara de Bloc (Interior. Bloc of Flats Hallway) by Ciprian Alexandrescu
 * Kestomerkitsijät (Roadmarkers) by Juho Kuosmanen
 * Naus by Lukás Glaser
 * O som e o resto (Sound and the Rest) by André Lavaquial
 * Shtika (Silence) by Hadar Morag
 * Stop by Park Jae-Ok
 * The Maid by Heidi Saman
 * This Is a Story About Ted and Alice by Teressa Tunney

Short film competition
The following short films competed for the Short Film Palme d'Or:


 * 411-Z by Daniel Erdélyi
 * Buen Viaje by Javier Palleiro
 * De moins en moins by Mélanie Laurent (France)
 * El Deseo by Marie Benito
 * Jerrycan by Julius Avery
 * Love You More by Sam Taylor-Wood
 * Megatron by Marian Crişan
 * My Rabbit Hoppy by Anthony Lucas
 * Smafuglar by Rúnar Rúnarsson

Cannes Classics
Cannes Classics places the spotlight on documentaries about cinema and restored masterworks from the past.

Tributes Documentaries about Cinema
 * Douro, faina fluvial by Manoel de Oliveira (1931)


 * Il était une fois...Lawrence d'Arabie by Anne Kunvari (2008)
 * La Collection Cinéma cinémas by Claude Ventura (2008)
 * No Subtitles Necessary: Laszlo & Vilmos by James Chressanthis (2008)
 * The Mystery of Samba (O mistério do Samba) by Jabor Carolina, Buarque De Hollanda Lula (2008)

Restored prints


 * 13 jours en France by Claude Lelouch and François Reichenbach (1968)
 * 24 Hours in the Life of a Woman (24 Heures de la vie d'une femme) by Dominique Delouche (1968)
 * Anna Karenina by Alexandre Zarkhi (1967)
 * The Big Snooze by Robert Clampett (1946, short)
 * Birds Anonymous by Friz Freleng (1957, short)
 * Blazing Saddles by Mel Brooks (1974)
 * Bonnie and Clyde by Arthur Penn (1967)
 * Book Revue by Robert Clampett (1945, short)
 * Captain Blood by Michael Curtiz (1935)
 * Dirty Harry by Don Siegel (1971)
 * Duck Amuck by Charles M. Jones (1951, short)
 * The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds by Paul Newman (1972)
 * Enter the Dragon by Robert Clouse (1973)
 * Fingers by James Toback (1977)
 * Gamperaliya by Lester James Peries (1965)
 * Guide by Vijay Anand (1965)
 * The Housemaid (Hanyo) by Kim Ki-young (1960)
 * I Am a Fugitive From a Chain Gang by Mervyn Leroy (1932)
 * I Love to Singa by Tex Avery (1936, short)
 * Interviews with My Lai Veterans by Joseph Strick (1971)
 * The Invisible Man by James Whale (1933)
 * Let's Get Lost by Bruce Weber (1989)
 * Lola Montes by Max Ophuls (1955)
 * The Long Day's Dying by Peter Collinson (1968)
 * The Matrix by Larry Wachowski, Andy Wachowski (1999)
 * One Froggy Evening by Charles M. Jones (1955, short)
 * Orphée by Jean Cocteau (1949)
 * The Passionate Friends by David Lean (1948)
 * Peppermint Frappé by Carlos Saura (1968)
 * Porky in Wackyland by Robert Clampett (1938, short)
 * Rabbit of Seville by Charles M. Jones (1949, short)
 * Santa Sangre by Alejandro Jodorowsky (1989)
 * The Savage Eye by Ben Maddow, Sidney Meyers, Joseph Strick (1960)
 * Susuz Yaz by Metin Erksan (1964)
 * This Happy Breed by David Lean (1944)
 * Touki Bouki by Djibril Diop Mambety (1973)
 * What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? by Robert Aldrich (1962)
 * What's Opera, Doc? by Chuck Jones (1957, short)
 * What's Up Doc? by Peter Bogdanovich (1972)
 * Zigeunerweisen by Seijun Suzuki (1980)

International Critics' Week
The following films were screened for the 47th International Critics' Week (47e Semaine de la Critique):

Feature film competition


 * Better Things by Duane Hopkins (United Kingdom, Germany)
 * The Stranger in Me (Das Fremde in mir) by Emily Atef (Germany)
 * Everybody Dies But Me by Valeriya Gai Germanika (Russia)
 * Blood Appears (La Sangre brota) by Pablo Fendrik (Argentina, France, Germany)
 * Les Grandes personnes by Anna Novion (France, Sweden)
 * Moscow, Belgium (Aanrijding in Moscou) by Christophe Van Rompaey (Belgium)
 * Snow (Snijeg) by Aida Begić (Bosnia-Herzegovina, Germany, France, Iran)

Short film competition

Special screenings
 * A espera (L’attente) by Fernanda Teixeira (Brazil)
 * Ahendu nde sapukai by Pablo Lamar (Argentina, Paraguay)
 * Ergo by Géza M. Tóth (Hungary)
 * La Copie de Coralie by Nicolas Engel (France)
 * Next Floor by Denis Villeneuve (Canada)
 * Nosebleed by Jeff Vespa (United States)
 * Skhizein by Jérémy Clapin (France)


 * 7 days (Shiva) by Ronit Elkabetz, Shlomi Elkabetz (Israel, France)
 * Rumba by Dominique Abel, Fiona Gordon, Bruno Romy (France, Belgium)
 * Home by Ursula Meier (Switzerland, France, Belgium)
 * The Desert Within (Desierto adentro) by Rodrigo Plá (Mexico)
 * The End of Poverty? (La Fin de la pauvreté?) by Philippe Diaz (United States)
 * Enfants de Don Quichotte (Acte 1) by Ronan Dénécé, Augustin Legrand, Jean-Baptiste Legrand (France)
 * Short films


 * Areia (Sand) by Caetano Gotardo (Brazil)
 * La Résidence Ylang Ylang by Hachimiya Ahamada (France, Comores)
 * L’ondée by David Coquard-Dassault (France, Canada)
 * Beyond the Mexique Bay by Jean-Marc Rousseau Ruiz (France, Mexico)
 * Prix de la Critique


 * Taxi Wala by Lola Frederich (France)
 * Graffiti by Vano Burduli (Georgia)
 * Les Filles de feu by Jean-Sébastien Chauvin (France)
 * Les Paradis Perdus by Hélier Cisterne (France)
 * Young Man Falling (Ung and falder) by Martin De Thurah (Denmark)
 * A Relationship in Four Days by Peter Glanz (United States)

Directors' Fortnight
The following films were screened for the 2008 Directors' Fortnight (Quinzaine des Réalizateurs):

Feature films


 * Acne by Federico Veiroj
 * Our Beloved Month of August (Aquele querido mês de agosto) by Miguel Gomes
 * Boogie by Radu Muntean
 * Les Bureaux de Dieu by Claire Simon
 * Birdsong (El cant dels ocells) by Albert Serra
 * Four Nights with Anna (Cztery noce z Anną) by Jerzy Skolimowski
 * De la guerre by Bertrand Bonello
 * Dernier maquis by Rabah Ameur-Zaïmeche
 * Eldorado by Bouli Lanners
 * Private Lessons (Elève libre) by Joachim Lafosse
 * Liverpool by Lisandro Alonso
 * Monsieur Morimoto by Nicola Sornaga
 * Knitting (Niú lán zhī nǔ) by Yin Lichuan
 * Now Showing by Raya Martin
 * The Pleasure of Being Robbed by Josh Safdie
 * Il Resto della notte by Francesco Munzi
 * Salamandra by Pablo Agüero
 * Shultes by Bakur Bakuradze
 * Blind Loves (Slepe lásky) by Juraj Lehotský
 * Taraneh Tanhaïye Tehran by Saman Salour
 * Tony Manero by Pablo Larraín
 * Le Voyage aux Pyrénées by Arnaud et Jean-Marie Larrieu

Special screenings


 * 40X15 by Olivier Jahan
 * Itinéraire de Jean Bricard by Danièle Huillet, Jean-Marie Straub (40 min)
 * Le Genou d’Artemide by Jean-Marie Straub (26 min)
 * Milestones (Reprise) by John Douglas, Robert Kramer

Short films


 * The Acquaintances of a Lonely John by Benny Safdie
 * Ciel éteint! by F. J. Ossang
 * Easter Morning by Bruce Conner
 * Il fait beau dans la plus belle ville du monde by Valérie Donzelli
 * Je vous hais petites filles by Yann Gonzalez
 * Kamel s’est suicidé six fois, son père est mort by Soufiane Adel
 * MAN by Myna Joseph
 * Mes copains by Louis Garrel
 * Muro by Tião
 * Sagan om den lille Dockpojken by Johannes Nyholm
 * Summer Afternoon by Wi-ding Ho
 * Vsakdan ni vsak dan by Martin Turk

In Competition
The following films and people received the 2008 Official selection awards:
 * Palme d'Or: The Class by Laurent Cantet
 * Grand Prix: Gomorra by Matteo Garrone
 * Best Director: Nuri Bilge Ceylan for Three Monkeys
 * Best Screenplay: Luc & Jean-Pierre Dardenne for Lorna's Silence
 * Best Actress: Sandra Corveloni in Linha de Passe
 * Best Actor: Benicio del Toro in Che
 * Jury Prize: Paolo Sorrentino for Il Divo
 * Special Prize of the Festival:
 * Catherine Deneuve
 * Clint Eastwood

Un Certain Regard

 * Prix Un Certain Regard: Tulpan by Sergey Dvortsevoy
 * Un Certain Regard Special Jury Prize: Tokyo Sonata by Kiyoshi Kurosawa
 * Heart Throb Jury Prize: Cloud 9 by Andreas Dresen
 * Knockout Prize: Tyson by James Toback
 * Prize of Hope: Johnny Mad Dog by Jean-Stéphane Sauvaire

Cinéfondation

 * First Prize: Himnon by Elad Keidan
 * Second Prize: Forbach by Claire Burger
 * Third Prize:
 * Stop by Park Jae-Ok
 * Roadmarkers by Juho Kuosmanen

Caméra d'Or

 * Hunger by Steve McQueen
 * Special mention: Everybody Dies But Me by Valeriya Gai Germanika

Short Films Competition

 * Short Film Palme d'Or: Megatron by Marian Crişan
 * Jury Prize: Jerrycan by Julius Avery

FIPRESCI Prizes

 * Hunger by Steve McQueen (Un Certain Regard)
 * Eldorado by Bouli Lanners (Directors' Fortnight)
 * Delta by Kornél Mundruczó (In competition)

Vulcan Award of the Technical Artist

 * Luca Bigazzi (cinematographer) and Angelo Raguseo (sound mixer) for Il Divo by Paolo Sorrentino

Prize of the Ecumenical Jury

 * Adoration by Atom Egoyan

International Critics' Week

 * Critics Week Grand Prize: Snow by Aida Begić
 * SACD Award: Moscow, Belgium by Christophe Van Rompaey
 * ACID/CCAS Award: Moscow, Belgium by Christophe Van Rompaey
 * OFAJ/TV5MONDE Young Critics Award: Blood Appears by Pablo Fendrik
 * Canal+ Gran Prix for short film: Next Floor by Denis Villeneuve
 * Kodak Discovery Award for Best Short Film: Skhizein by Jérémy Clapin

Regards Jeunes Prize

 * Everybody Dies But Me by Valeriya Gai Germanika

Prix François Chalais

 * Wild Blood by Marco Tullio Giordana