In chaotic scenes not seen since the 2017 Oscar ceremony, Spike Lee managed to read out the winner of the Palme d’Or, the top prize at the Cannes Film Festival, as the very first award of the night.
The Do The Right Thing director, who was head of the jury at this year’s festival appeared to get confused after host Doria Tillier asked him to name the winner of the ‘first prize’ at the closing ceremony.
However, that simple phrase; ‘first prize’ translated to Lee as the prestigious Palme d’Or so he stood up and said: “The film that won the Palme d’Or isTitane.” Lee’s fellow jury members appeared shocked and embarrassed that he has just accidentally revealed the winner of the main prize way too early and quickly explained to him what had just happened.
On a frôlé la catastrophe et une annonce un peu prématurée de la Palme d'or 😱 #Cannes2021 pic.twitter.com/8uBfYl2orI
— CANAL+ (@canalplus) July 17, 2021
Poor Spike...
The 64-year-old almost messed up again later in the ceremony by prematurely announcing that Julia Ducournau’s film had won the Palme d’Or, despite Sharon Stone being booked to do so.
The veteran later said: “In 63 years of life, I’ve learned that people get a second chance, this is my second chance. I apologise for messing up. It took a lot of suspense out of the night I understand, it wasn’t on purpose.”
Spike Lee says he apologized to the TITANE team for his flub: pic.twitter.com/Sq7hkOqFa3
— Kyle Buchanan (@kylebuchanan) July 17, 2021
Needless to say, people’s reactions to this monumental slip-up were pretty hilarious albeit at the expense of Lee giving many people flashbacks to 2017 when Warren Beatty announced that La La Land had won best picture at the Oscars when it was actually Moonlight.
Mélanie Laurent's face as Spike Lee announces Titane winning Palme d'Or 😂 #Cannes2021 https://t.co/Vr2D2igBIW pic.twitter.com/b9h8L7kjVW
— ℳari (@cakeblanchett_) July 17, 2021
Hats off to Spike Lee who just put the MOONLIGHT LA LA LAND debacle to shame. TITANE for Palm d’Or! #Cannes2021 pic.twitter.com/rFQcSprR9V
— Leonardo Goi @Cannes (@LeonardoGoi) July 17, 2021
I’m on a plane that is about to take off, so I’d like to thank Spike Lee for letting me know the big winner before I have to turn off my phone. Good night!
— Scott Feinberg @ Cannes (@ScottFeinberg) July 17, 2021
I love how Tahar Rahim moved to share a seat with Spike Lee while he’s so embarrassed pic.twitter.com/q0iFFj0iwL
— Brian Formo (@BrianFormo) July 17, 2021
Spike’s reaction after accidentally announcing that Titane won Palma D’or as the first award is sending me pic.twitter.com/Ir29c9sHQU
— Will Mavity (@mavericksmovies) July 17, 2021
#Cannes2021 and now to announce to awards pic.twitter.com/XqBAdW89kg
— FilmLand Empire (@FilmLandEmpire) July 17, 2021
Announcing Best Picture last is for losers. pic.twitter.com/KKFgSuDuFD
— Sean Burns (@SeanMBurns) July 17, 2021
My friends when I do a huge fuck-up pic.twitter.com/JJESEblTN5
— Caspar Salmon (@CasparSalmon) July 17, 2021
— Tom Phillips (@flashboy) July 17, 2021
Reactions ranked: Diop > Song > Laurent > Rahim > Hausner > Gyllenhaal > Mendonça Filho #Cannes2021 pic.twitter.com/rZwxTNrKik
— Robbie Collin (@robbiereviews) July 17, 2021
I JUST LANDED TO SEE THIS I AM DYING pic.twitter.com/wSRdVgQh38
— hannah strong (@thethirdhan) July 17, 2021
Lee’s mix-up arguably overshadowed Ducournau’s achievement as she became the first-ever female director to win the Palme d’Or outright. Jane Campion had won the award in 1993 for The Piano but the honour was shared with Chen Kaige and his film Farewell My Concubine.
