The curtain fell on the 70th edition of the Cannes Film Festival on Sunday, with the main success for Italy claimed by Jasmine Trinca as best actress for her performance in 'Fortunata' in the Un Certain Regard section.
Italian actress Monica Bellucci hosted the opening and closing ceremonies on the Croisette, while the official jury headed by Spanish director Pedro Almodovar also included Oscar-winning Italian director Paolo Sorrentino.
'Fortunata', a film by actor-director Sergio Castellitto
about a salt-of-the-earth hairdresser in pursuit of her dream to
open her own salon in the Roman suburbs, was one of two Italian
films to appear in Un Certain Regard, the section running
parallel to the official selection judged by a separate jury
headed by actress Uma Thurman.
The other was Annarita Zambrano's directing debut 'Dopo la
guerra' (After the war).
Trinca dedicated her prize to her mother "who taught me
Fortunata's integrity and to my daughter who is eight like
Fortunata's daughter and who cried and protested this morning
because I wouldn't be with her tonight".
She also thanked director Castellitto and his novelist wife
Margaret Mazzantini, who wrote the screenplay.
"I owe a lot (to both of them)," Trinca said.
"They entrusted their creature to me, they trusted me; then
it all came naturally, with the strength, determination, anger
of this woman who united us all on the set, driving us to give
of our best."
The film, which also stars Stefano Accorsi, was released in
Italy on May 20.
Four other Italian films appeared in other sections at Cannes
this year.
They were Sicilian Ghost Story by Fabio Grassadonia and
Antonio Piazza, which opened the Semaine de la critique, and
Roberto De Paolis' debut Cuori Puri, A Ciambra by Jonas
Carpignano and L'Intrusa by Leonardo Di Costanzo in the
Quinzaine des Realisateurs section.
"In addition to great vibrancy, Italy has shown in particular
the appearance of a new class of authors ready to enter the
international limelight," Castellitto said.
The Palme d'Or, the highest prize awarded at the Cannes film
festival, went to Swedish director Ruben Ostlund's comedy "The
Square".
Sofia Coppola became only the second woman to win the best
director award for "The Beguiled", a remake of Don Siegel's 1971
Civil War drama about a Union soldier hiding out in a Southern
girls' school.
The film stars Colin Farrell, Kirsten Dunst and Nicole
Kidman, who won the special prize.
Diane Kruger was named best actress for her performance in
Fatih Akin's "In the Fade", and Joaquin Phoenix won best actor
for his part in Lynne Ramsay's thriller "You Were Never Really
Here".
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