Cannes 2008 – Un Certain Regard Awards
Askat Kuchinchirekov in Sergei Dvortsevoi’s Tulpan
Kazakh director Sergei Dvortsevoi’s drama Tulpan was awarded the Un Certain Regard Prize on Saturday night while the Hope Prize went to Jean-Stéphane Sauvaire’s Johnny Mad Dog, the KnockOut Prize went to James Toback’s documentary Tyson, Cloud 9 by Andreas Dresen won the One-From-The-Heart Award and Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s Tokyo Sonata won the Jury Prize.
Screen Daily’s Jonathan Romney called Tulpan an “intensely enjoyable debut feature” that “blends intimate, gentle fiction with a strong dose of ethnographic observation, to immensely charming effect.” It takes place in southern Kazakhstan where a sailor comes to stay with his sister’s family with the dream of finding a bride and having his own herd of sheep. His most likely prospect is Tulpan, the shy neighbor girl.
Meanwhile, though many journalists have already packed up and returned home, Reuters is reporting on a late entry in the Palme d’Or sweepstakes. According to Mike Collett-White and James Mackenzie, the French drama Entre Les Murs (The Class) set in a Parisian classroom earned “loud applause and cheers after the movie was shown.”
The Palme d’Or and other major prizes will be announced Sunday.
Filed under: Film Festivals
Glad to see Kiyoshi Kurosawa get an award, I think he’s pretty great.
The success must be a great relief to Dvortsevoi.
Now he will not be execute.
I’m sure that Tulpan is sensitive, nicely observed, richly textured, etc. but man does that plot sound like a beating. I want an f-ing explosion. Is that so wrong? :)
Ahahhaha…I got sleepy just typing up the description.
Yeah, it’s probably lovely, but it sounds exactly like the kind of thing that drives people away from indie/foreign films screaming.
Jeff, he had to move away from J-Horror to get the critical recognition, but still.
Sartre…hahah…took me a minute to catch your Borat reference.
Yeah, Kiyoshi Kurosawa had to move away from J-horror. Oh well, I think he’s pretty great as well and I’m looking forward to seeing Tokyo Sonata.
Meanwhile, poor Francis. His friends George and Steven are going to be rolling and swimming in money on a beach somewhere this weekend while he denies the production of his film has been shut down. Man, that guy…
Between George and Francis, I’d pick Francis. He may not have the power he once had, but at least he’s not creatively bankrupt and the fires are still burning inside him.
Here’s hoping Tetro (and Nailed) can get their respective problems worked out.
Between Francis and Steven, I’d pick Francis.
I’d pick Steven, otherwise I’d have even less of a chance of ever marrying Sofia.
I had to go to the awards website to see if they really gave Tyson something called the “Knockout Prize.”
Apparently they made up a couple this year and that was one of them.
Silly, but what are you gonna do?