Cannes 2012 - Amour wins the Palme d'Or
Amour has been awarded the Palme d'Or at this year's Festival de Cannes.
On a rainy night on the Croisette, the jury presided over by Italian filmmaker Nanni Moretti selected Michael Haneke's film as their choice for the Golden Palm, the top prize at the world's most renowned film festival.
Haneke took the Palme two years ago for The White Ribbon and joins a select group of filmmakers who have won the top prize at Cannes twice.
Amour stars Jean-Louis Trintignant and Emmanuelle Riva as an elderly couple whose lives are forever changed when one of them suffers a stroke.
Mateo Garrone's Reality was a surprise choice for the Grand Prix, while Ken Loach's The Angels' Share received the third prize, the Prix de Jury, with the British director, well liked in France, commenting: 'I would like to send our solidarity to those in dark times - resist the programmes of austerity and cuts.'
Carlos Reygadas took the mise-en-scene (best director) prize for Post Tenebras Lux, while Cristian Mungiu, a former Palme d'Or winner with 4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days, took the Prix de Scenario (the screenplay award) for Beyond the Hills.
Mads Mikkelsen was named best actor for his role in Thomas Vinterberg's The Hunt and Beyond the Hills' Cosmina Stratan and Cristina Flutur shared the best actress prize.
Earlier, Benh Zeihlin took the Camera d'Or (for first-time directors) for Beasts of the Southern Wild, Pablo Larrain's No won the Art Cinema Award for the Director's Fortnight competition, and Michael Franco's Despues de Lucia took the Prize of Un Certain Regard.
Lewis Bazley
