Kirsten Dunst, 'Tree of Life' Win Top Prizes at Cannes Film Fest

Terrence Malick's'The Tree of Life'divided criticsat the Cannes Film Festival, but a jury led by Robert De Niro awarded it the Palme d'Or, the festival's highest honor, Sunday.

Another media storm surrounded 'Melancholia' afterLars von Trier's outlandish behavior got himbannedfrom the festival, but that didn't stop the film's star,Kirsten Dunst, from being honored for her role as a depressed bride. While the ban prevented von Trier from attending the ceremony, his film was still eligible for prizes.

"What a week it's been,"Dunst said as she accepted the prize. She thanked the fest for allowing the film to remain in competition and von Trier"for giving me the opportunity to be so brave in this film, and so free.'"

Charlotte Gainsbourg and Bjork have previously won the award at Cannes for their roles in von Trier's 'Antichrist' and 'Dancer in the Dark.'

See the complete list of winners after the jump

The Grand Prix was shared by two Cannes veterans: Nuri Bilge Ceylan's 'Once Upon a Time in Anatolia' and brothers Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne's 'The Kid With a Bike.'

The Dardennes have won the Palme d'Or twice, for 'Rosetta' in 1999 and 'The Child' in 2005. Ceylan received the Grand Prix for ''Distant' in 2002 and the director prize for ''Three Monkeys' in 2008.

Nicolas Winding Refn took the director laurels for his action-thriller, ''Drive,' starring Ryan Gosling. In his acceptance speech, he called Gosling ''my favorite alter ego.''

Cannes 64th Film Festival Awards

Palme d'Or:'The Tree of Life' (Terrence Malick, U.S.)

Grand Prix (tie):'Once Upon a Time in Anatolia' (Nuri Bilge Ceylan, Turkey) and 'The Kid With a Bike'' (Jean-Luc and Pierre Dardenne, France)

Director:Nicolas Winding Refn ('Drive,'U.S.)

Jury prize:'Polisse' (Maiwenn, France)

Actor:Jean Dujardin ('The Artist,' France)

Actress:Kirsten Dunst ('Melancholia,' Denmark-Sweden-France-Germany)

Screenplay:Joseph Cedar ('Footnote,' Israel)

Camera d'Or:'Las acacias' (Pablo Giorgelli, Argentina-Spain)

Palme d'Or, short films:'Cross' (Maryna Vroda)


{Variety1,2}

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When Sexy Goes Behind the Camera: Is Angelina Jolie the Newest Sex Symbol Director?

CouldAngelina Jolietake home a Best Director Oscar next February?

Not only has the sultry siren written and directed her first movie, a Bosnian war drama called 'In the Land of Blood and Honey,' butshe's landed a distribution dealthat will see it released on Dec. 23, thereby announcing its ambitions as a serious awards-season contender.

You'd think there'd be some difficulty in making the transition from sex symbol in front of the camera to critically acclaimed filmmaker behind the camera. But if that's Jolie's dream, she's in good company, since critics and Academy voters have often been remarkably kind to matinee idols who are just getting their feet wet as directors.

Exhibits A and B areRobert RedfordandKevin Costner. Both movie hunks won Oscars for Best Picture and Best Director their first time out of the gate. Redford won for family drama'Ordinary People'in 1981, Costner for epic western'Dances With Wolves'in 1991. (In a tidy coincidence, both beat veteranMartin Scorsese, who was a contender with two of his greatest films,'Raging Bull'in 1981 and'Goodfellas'in 1991.)

Warren BeattyandMel Gibsonboth won best director Oscars for just their second efforts behind the camera, Beatty for 1981's Russian revolution saga 'Reds' and Gibson for his 1995 medieval war drama'Braveheart,'which also won Best Picture.George Clooneywas nominated for his second directing job, 2005's historical drama 'Good Night, and Good Luck,' though he didn't win.

The Academy also likes it when screen hotties create their own opportunities by writing screenplays. Beatty was nominated for his first writing effort, 1975's 'Shampoo,' and again for 'Reds.'Emma Thompsonwon an Oscar for her first screenplay, 1995's Jane Austen adaptation 'Sense and Sensibility,' in which she also starred.Matt DamonandBen Affleckwon an Academy Award for their first screenplay, 1997's drama'Good Will Hunting,'which had juicy roles for both of them. Affleck also won critical praise and Oscar talk (though not actual nominations) for his two directing efforts, Boston crime dramas 'Gone Baby Gone' and 'The Town.'

Jolie's film has some traits in common with some of those mentioned above. It sounds epic in scale, centering on a controversial historical event (à la Costner, Beatty, Gibson, and Clooney). It's not a vanity project, since Jolie didn't cast herself in the movie (neither did Redford). And in working with distributor FilmDistrict, she gets the services of veteran indie film marketerBob Berney, who managed successful awards campaigns for such films as'Pan's Labyrinth,''The Young Victoria,'and'La Vie en Rose.'(In that respect, she's echoing Damon and Affleck, whose 'Good Will Hunting' had the Oscar marketing savvy of Miramax's Harvey Weinstein behind it.)

It also helps that Jolie already has an Oscar, for her role in 1999's'Girl, Interrupted,'and that she's made humanitarian disasters of the sort depicted in her film her signature issue as an activist. So she's not likely to be seen as a dilettante who has no business telling this story or even getting behind the camera.

Besides, any excuse to get Jolie on a red carpet seems to make the whole industry happy.

•Follow Gary Susman on Twitter @garysusman.

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Today on indieWIRE: 'Drive' Premieres in Cannes& More Reaction From Censored Lars von Trier

• Curious aboutLars von Trier'sreaction to becoming"Persona Non Grata"at Cannes?indieWIREwas able tointerviewthe exiled director, who spoke directly about the recent controversy."I was extremely stupid,"he said,"but on the other hand we should worry about not being able to talk about certain things."

• Stephanie Sigmanhas been making waves with her first lead role inGerardo Naranjo's 'Miss Bala.'indieWIREprofiled the actress,asking her about taking on such a demanding part and her plans for the future.

• indieWIRE profiledSean Kirkpatrick, who wrote and directed Relativity Media's Rogue and AMC Theaters' Big Break Movie Contest winner 'Cost of Soul.' Clickhereto read Kirkpatrick's thoughts on winning the contest.

• Cannes reviews: indieWIRE lead criticEric Kohnwasnotpleased with'This Must Be the Place,'calling the film"too much of a godawful mess to merit serious moral scrutiny."Kohn also got a chance late last night to see'Drive,'praising the filmfor being"a hyperactive love letter to road rage with unapologetic glee."Finally, Kohn reviewed'Oslo, August 31st,'which hedeemed"a powerful, upfront document of a recovering drug addict confronting the demons of his past."

• Cannesselectedthe three winners for the Cinéfondation prizes. The awards went toDoroteya Droumeva's 'The Letter,' Kamal Lazraq's 'Drari'andSon Tae-gyum's 'Fly by Night.'

• Anne Thompsonis back onthe Oscar beat, this time from Cannes.

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Today on indieWIRE: Lars Von Trier Banned From Cannes

• Lars Von Trier'scomments at the Wednesday press conference for'Melancholia,'in which he joked about sympathizing with Hitler and possibly being a Nazi, racked up even more controversy today. The Cannes Board of Directors declared Von Trier a"Persona Non Grata,"meaning he is unable to physically collect any awards for his film, and his future with the festival is in question. Von Trier could also face legal action from France, where anti-Semitic remarks can lead to six months in prison or a€22,500 fine.indieWIREreportedon the latest development in this scandal.

• There has been some confusion about the technicalities of becoming a"Persona Non Grata."It seemsVon Trier would still be eligible to receive the Palme d'Or, but would be unable to attend the ceremony.

• Speaking of the Palme d'Or,indieWIREoffered a round-up of the top five contenders for the coveted prize. Clickhereto read about the five front-runners, including'Melancholia'and'The Tree of Life.'

• indieWIRE lead criticEric KohnreviewedPedro Almodóvar's'The Skin I Live In,'starringAntonio Banderasas a deranged plastic surgeon. Kohn wasonly so-soon the dark medical thriller, stating Almodóvar"lets the mess pile up and enjoys it."Kohn wasa much bigger fanofJafar Panahi's 'This Is Not a Film,'calling it"a moving expression of frustration, as well as an eloquent indictment of Iranian society."

• The aftermath surrounding Von Trier's Nazi remarks has kept iW's blog network busy.Anne Thompsonreported on the controversy as didThe Playlist,who offered their opinion on the whole matter:"Yes, the director was being a prize ass, to the surprise of absolutely no-one. But we'd think that the official reprimand, and subsequent apology would have been the end of the story, without the need to blacklist the director. If Von Trier had stood up and outlined racial supremacist views, that would have been one thing, but he was nowhere near that, and even clarified his views at the time, and to ban Von Trier from the festival only a few days after parading Mel Gibson, a man on record as making genuinely racist and anti-Semitic statements, down the red carpet for the out-of-competition premiere of 'The Beaver,' a move designed to generate publicity just as much as Von Trier's comments were, is an act of staggering hypocrisy."

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Today on indieWIRE: Lars von Trier Gives the Press a Field Day in Cannes

• One of the festival's most anticipated titles,Lars Von Trier'ssci-fi downer'Melancholia,'screened in the wee hours of the morning. The verdict, according toEric Kohn:"A dark apocalyptic masterpiece."Clickhereto read Kohn's full review.

• As for Von Trier's own verdict?"Maybe it's crap actually. Of course I hope not, there's quite a bit of possibility this is really not worth seeing."That's just one choice quote the Cannes vet made at following the film's unveiling.Among the others:"OK, I'm a Nazi"..."Oh, 'Melancholia' is a comedy. You should see what happens when I try tragedy"... And,"We had fun doing this film, but I would like to talk about my next film which is -- as Kirsten (Dunst) insisted -- is going to be a porn film."

• After the worldwide press had a field day with Von Trier's explosive Nazi comment, the director was quick to offeran official apologyvia a press release. In it, he simply stated that"he let himself be egged on by provocation."

• Kohn also caught Aki Kaurismaki's deadpan comedy'Le Havre.'"Combining his economical storytelling with a life-affirming plot, Kaurismaki churns a fundamental scenario through his own unique narrative tendencies, yielding a product both heartwarming and irreverent, two qualities that should come as no surprise to anyone familiar with his distinctive touch,"Kohn wrote in his review."Beyond that, it also introduces an element of political commentary to the director's work that deepens its impact."

• The Playlistgot caught up in the Von Trier mania on La Croisette. First up theyreviewedthe film (slapping it with a C+), reported onthe outrageous press conferenceand investigated whether Von Trier's next project will in fact be aporn film.

• Anne Thompsonweighed in on theTilda Swinton-starring'We Need to Talk About Kevin'and where it might find a home."At the premiere, green-eyed Tilda Swinton looked every inch the statuesque movie star with a light blond bob, candy pink lips and backless dark azur blue and purple Haider Ackermann sheath,"she wrote."Having won a supporting actress nod Oscar for 'Michael Clayton' as well as top notices for 'I Am Love', a small distributor with the right deft marketing touch -- I'd pick Roadside Attractions, but they appear not to be chasing hard after this -- could deploy a Swinton awards campaign to turn this tough little movie into a must-see."

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Much-Anticipated Trailer for Steven Spielberg's 'The Adventures of Tintin' Arrives

Yesterday, we got afirst lookat the U.S. and U.K. teaser posters for directorSteven Spielberg's Peter Jackson–produced 3D motion-capture animation adaptation of Belgian artist Georges"Hergé"Remi's comic book series 'The Adventures of Tintin.' Today, we get the trailer.

Aside from a few still images and the poster, Spielberg has kept 'Tintin' a mystery. But from the looks of things, the director's affinity for revolutionary special effects ('Close Encounters of the Third Kind,' 'Jurassic Park') has been put to good use here, with the motion-capture technology pioneered by Spielberg's real-life friend and 'Back to the Future' collaboratorRobert Zemeckislooking sharper than ever.

However, one secret remains: Where is the rest of the film's title? The full title had been 'The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn,' however, the subtitle is absent from both the poster and the trailer.

Jamie Bell, Andy Serkis andDaniel Craigstar in the flick, which hits theaters Dec. 23.Check out 'The Adventures of Tintin' trailer after the jump.

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Indie 'Black Swan' Crosses $300 Million Mark in Worldwide Grosses

'Black Swan,' the much-awarded ballet thriller that landedNatalie Portmana Best Actress Oscar, opened huge in Japan last week, raking in an impressive $6.1 million. But that's not the real story here. No, the real story (viaDeadline) is that those couple of million pushed the $12-million-budgeted Fox Searchlight indie to a worldwide gross of $305 million, making it one of only a handful of independent features ever to reach the massive figure.

'Swan,' which is already on DVD in the U.S., raked in over $106 million domestically and is just short of $200 million in the international market, where it continues to do gangbuster business. Japan was the last major foreign territory where 'Swan' had not opened.

It takes a perfect storm of buzz, hype, good reviews and word of mouth for an independent feature to churn up grosses comparable to a major studio hit (a pretty big hit at that), and only a few have ever broached the $300 million mark.The Hollywood Reporterlists 'Slumdog Millionaire' ($377.9 million), 'My Big Fat Greek Wedding' ($368.7 million) and Mel Gibson's 'The Passion of the Christ' ($611.9 million) as independently-financed features that have exceeded $300 million in earnings.

The film has been a pleasant surprise for Fox International. Buoyed by the impressive performances of 'Swan' and the animated film 'Rio' abroad, Fox's overseas arm became the first to cross the $1 billion mark this year.

Haven't checked out 'Black Swan' yet? Well, what are you waiting for?Start with the trailer below:

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