Brit. Success At Film Fest.
Last updated: 13/10/2006 - 16:31
British film talent has taken the international film world by storm by winning two of the industry’s most prestigious prizes at the Cannes Film Festival: the Palme d’Or and the Prix du Jury.
British director Ken Loach was awarded the Cannes Palme d’Or for his portrayal of the beginnings of violent Republicanism in early 20th century Ireland in The Wind that Shakes the Barley awarded £545,000 of Lottery coin by the UK Film Council’s New Cinema Fund.
UK Film Council
Loach is no stranger to Cannes success with nine of his previous films screened in the official Cannes selections including his Spanish Civil War epic Land and Freedom and Riff-Raff (both previous winners of the FIPRESCI prize), Raining Stones and Hidden Agenda (winner of the 1993 Jury Prize).
First-time feature film director Andrea Arnold was awarded the Prix du Jury prize for her powerful tale of obsession and forgiveness, Red Road. Funded by the UK Film Council’s New Cinema and Development Funds, the Glasgow Film Office and Scottish Screen, the film was produced by Glasgow-based Sigma Films in collaboration with Lars Von Trier’s Zentropa Films.
The film which stars Katie Dickie, Tony Curran, Martin Compston and Nathalie Press echoes Arnold’s award-winning skill of delivering powerfully realist narrative previously seen by the film industry with her Oscar-winning short film, Wasp which came out of the UK Film Council/Film Four Cinema Extreme Programme.
Lottery-Funded
Paul Trijbits, Head of the New Cinema Fund says: "To have two British Lottery funded films in Competition in Cannes was in itself a tremendous achievement, but now to have one film win the Palme d’Or and the other win the Prix du Jury is an outstanding testament to the talent, creativity and vision of Ken Loach and Andrea Arnold."
"It is fantastic that Ken Loach has won the most important accolade in the film world, the Palme d’Or, with The Wind That Shakes the Barley. Ken continues on his quest of raising difficult political issues and has made one of his most powerful films in a most uncompromising way.”
"For Andrea Arnold to have her film screened in competition alongside internationally recognised directors such as Pedro Almodóvar and Ken Loach was recognition in itself. And now for a first time film maker to win the Prix du Jury is an amazing achievement. With Red Road, Andrea has created a stunningly visual film which reaches to the very heart of society through uncompromising observations using CCTV. This shows that she is one of the most exciting, new filmmakers in the world."