Awaiting the winner of the Golden Palm

Vecdi Sayar – CANNES

While the festival is approaching its final day, forecasts concerning the winner of the Palme d’Or (Golden Palm) concentrate on two titles—“En Guerre” (In War) by French helmer Stephane Brize and “BlacKkKlansman” by Spike Lee. Other possible winners could be “Burning” by Korean director Lee Chang-dong and “Cold War” by Polish director Pawel Pawlikowski. 

Both “In the War” and “BlacKkKlansman” have strong political content. The first one deals with the struggle of workers at a German car factory that will be shut down and lead to over a thousand workers losing their jobs. Brize uses a realistic, nearly documentary-style and Vincent Lindon, who plays in the lead role, is again a strong contender for best actor (he won the same prize with Brize’s “The Measure of a Man” in 2015).

“BlacKkKlansman” is an anti-racist story based on real events, directed by Lee, one of the leading directors in cinema. Giving a historical background for racism in the United States, the director states that the Ku Klux Klan movement is still alive and even backed by the officials of his country. The film has a strong appeal not only for black audiences but all who are against U.S. President Donald Trump’s policies.

The last film on the festival list, “Ahlat Ağacı” (The Wild Pear Tree) by Turkish director Nuri Bilge Ceylan, who was a Golden Palm winner in 2014, will be screened tonight on May 18. 

This film might also be a strong contender for a prize with its strong cast, starring Aydın Doğu Demirkol, Murat Cemcir, Bennu Yıldırımlar, Hazar Ergüçlü, Serkan Keskin, Tamer Levent, Akın Aksu, Ömer Erkan, Ahmet Rıfat Şungar, Kubilay Tuncer, Kadir Çermik and Özay Fecht. 

French actor Edouard Baer had hosted the opening ceremony and will also host the award ceremony on May 19. After the deliberation of prizes, including the Golden Palm, the Grand Prix du Jury, the Jury Prize, Best Actor and Best Actress, the festival’s closing film “The Man Who Killed Don Quixote” will be screened.