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Escaped Iranian director receives special jury prize at Cannes

US director Sean Baker wins Palme d'Or for Anora as Trans Spanish actress Karla Sofia Gascon shares best actress prize

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Director Mohammad Rasoulof reacts during the closing ceremony of the 77th Cannes Film Festival in Cannes. — Photo: Reuters

By AFP

Published: Sat 25 May 2024, 10:24 PM

Mohammad Rasoulof, the Iranian director who fled a prison sentence in his home country just days before the Cannes Film Festival, received a special jury prize on Saturday.

Rasoulof, whose film "The Seed of the Sacred Fig" tells the story of a court investigator whose family life is torn apart during protests, said his heart was with the crew "still under the pressure of the secret services back in Iran".

Trans Spanish actress Karla Sofia Gascon, pop star Selena Gomez and Zoe Saldana jointly received the best actress prize for their roles in narco musical Emilia Perez.

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Gascon broke down in tears as she received the prize on behalf of all three stars in the film by Cannes veteran Jacques Audiard, thanking her family and dedicating it to "all the trans people who are suffering".

A jury led by Greta Gerwig crowned US director Sean Baker with the Palme d'Or for Anora after a politically charged 77th edition packed with blood, sex and powerful feminist messages. Anora by US indie director Baker is a raw and often hilarious story about a New York erotic dancer who strikes gold with a wealthy client, only to face the wrath of his Russian oligarch parents.

The closing ceremony got underway at the world-renowned festival on the French Riviera with 22 entries in the main competition.

Rasoulof fled a lengthy prison sentence in his home country just days before the festival started last week.

"The Iranian regime... is in a panic that our stories will be told. It's absurd," Rasoulof told reporters at the festival on Saturday.

Star Wars creator George Lucas walked the red carpet as he prepared to receive an honorary Palme d'Or.

Directing legend Francis Ford Coppola was spotted at the festival early Saturday, suggesting he may pick up an award later for his Ancient Roman fable Megalopolis.

One of the standouts of the festival was Sebastian Stan as Donald Trump in The Apprentice, a surprisingly nuanced biopic about the former US president's formative years.

Trump's team called it "garbage" and vowed to sue over its depiction of him raping his wife.

AFP

Published: Sat 25 May 2024, 10:24 PM

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