Cannes’ Director’s Fortnight sidebar has announced its prizes for this year’s festival, honouring Canadian director Xavier Dolan’s J’ai tue ma mere (I Killed My Mother) in all but two of its five categories.
The film is the tale of a complicated relationship between a mother (Anne Dorval) and her 16-year-old gay son, played by Dolan himself. It had been attracting buzz for its quality and for the story behind the film. Though not 16, Dolan wrote, directed, produced and starred in the film aged just 20.
The film won the Art Cinema Award, the Regards Jeunes Prize and the SACD Prize.
The only other feature film to win a prize was La Pivellina by Tizza Covi and Rainer Frimmel, which went home with the Europa Cinemas Label. The third feature by the couple, it’s the story of a young child adopted by an unemployed circus worker.
The SFR Prize went to French short Montparnasse, directed by Mikhael Hers.
Cannes’ main Awards ceremony, in which, amongst others, the Palme d’Or will be presented, happens tomorrow night as the 2009 festival draws to a close. We’ll have news on the winners as they’re announced.
ART CINEMA AWARD
I Killed My Mother – Xavier Dolan (Canada)
REGARDS JEUNES PRIZE 2009
I Killed My Mother
SACD PRIZE
I Killed My Mother
EUROPA CINEMAS LABEL
La Pivellina – Tizza Covi and Rainer Frimmel (Austria)
SFR PRIZE
Montparnasse – Mikhael Hers (France)
