French director Julia Ducournau became on Saturday the second female director to win the prestigious Palme d'Or at the Cannes film festival with her horror film "Titane". The top prize was revealed early at the closing ceremony in an embarrassing slip-up by jury president Spike Lee.
The awards ceremony for the 74th Cannes Film Festival started where it should have ended, with jury president Spike Lee mistakenly announcing that the serial killer odyssey “Titane” was the winner of the festival’s top honour, the Palme d’Or.
Shouting and several moments of confusion ensued after Lee announced “Titane,” but Ducournau did not come to the stage to accept. The ceremony continued and other awards were handed out while Lee was seen with his head in his hands.
French director Julie Ducournau is only the second woman to take home the festival's top prize, with one of the wildest, sexiest and most violent films ever shown at the Cannes film festival.
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© {{ scope.credits }}It tells the story of a young woman who has sex with cars, kills without a care, and pretends to be a boy despite being pregnant by a vintage Cadillac. The 39-year-old French filmmaker said she developed a taste for skin-crawling bodily transformations early on in life thanks to her parents, both doctors.
Best director was awarded to Leos Carax for "Annette", the fantastical musical that opened the festival. The award was accepted by the musical duo Sparks, who wrote the script and music for the film.
Nadav Lapid’s "Ahed’s Knee" won the jury prize, while Caleb Landry Jones took home the best actor prize. Renate Reinsve won best actress for Joachim Trier’s "The Worst Person in the World".
(FRANCE 24 with AFP, AP, Reuters)
