CANNES FILM FESTIVAL

Tied with Olivier Assayas for Personal Shopper (2016).

Tied with Cristian Mungiu for Bacalaureat (2016).

Tied with La culpa, probablemente (2016) for third place.

Tied with A nyalintás nesze (2016) for third place.

In MERCENAIRE, Sacha Wolff has made a really powerful and original first feature. The story is simple and direct, and all the stronger for that. A boy is enticed to leave his home and culture in New Caledonia to go and play rugby in France. There he becomes a man, but at a price. Stand out elements in MERCENAIRE are the great script, excellent camerawork and the great performances by the non-professional cast. A very worthy winner of the Europa Cinemas Label at this year's Cannes.

We decided to award the bravest and truly innovative film in selection. This beautiful adventure gave us the opportunity to discover a hybrid film constructed from sweet fairy tales, mysterious fantasies, touchingly portrayed real life, inspiring dreams, unique culture traditions in stunning and calm landscapes just before chaos and war. The young and talented director amazed us with convincing and spontanious performances by joyful kids and friendly animals. With this award we want to encourage European producers, investors and decision makers to believe in promising directors from such rarely seen countries in cinema. The CICAE Art Cinema Award goes to Ms. Shahrbanoo Sadat from far away Afghanistan for her powerful WOLF AND SHEEP.

A film gorgeously crafted, made with a fresh and a sensitive approach, that captures the complex relationship between father and daughter and comments on the lunacy of today's world.

A promising first feature that skillfully mixes crime and western genres, giving us insight into conflicts of contemporary Romania.

What cannot be said by words can be communicated by the face, rendered transcendental by Xavier Dolan's filming. In what is not said, the screams and the looks, we find the history of a family where love is unspoken and where people yell not to reveal what is essential. Upon his return Louis, the prodigal son who came to announce his impending death, chooses instead to inspire love and hope to his relatives.

A road-movie that gives a loving glimpse of a forgotten youth, a "sales crew" travelling from town to town. It shows their ability of inner strength and dignity, while at the same time providing a social seismograph of various segments of society. It is a threefold journey: a journey of the crew, a journey from wealth to poverty and an inner journey of each of the protagonists, Star and Jake haven't lost their ability to dream and to transform themselves.

Sustained by the great artistic qualities of the director, this movie portrays a man at the end of his life, who puts his own suffering aside to be of service to a family challenged by marginalization and poverty. Like a Good Samaritan, he brings them the attention and affection that are as necessary to human beings as material needs.

For the artistic direction, with great inspiration.

In awarding the Queer Palm to Les Vies de Thérèse, the Jury has decided to pay homage to two souls. The Queer Palm is thus awarded to Sébastien Lifshitz and his moving film - centered around the struggle of a woman, intertwining her private life with her political fights, crossing across times and questioning the roles imposed by society. The resolutely tender gaze Sébastien Lifshitz casts on this woman is a loving one - one that pays homage, yet at a distance - thus fully doing justice to Thérèse' political fights on the verge of her death. The Queer Palm is also awarded to Thérèse Clerc, who died on February, 16th 2016 - thus honouring a woman who, in carving her own path, opened up the way for our contemporary fights and reminded us relentlessly that our sexuality can and should both nourish our political fights and guide our commitment to a better society.

Gabber Lover is a delicate film in which the director acutely displays her own social and intimate struggles. It is a coming out film, one in which we learn to face our own desires and to free ourselves. We truly believe Gabber Lover will be a source of inspiration and will empower the youngsters.

Cinema Novo is a film manifesto about the relevance today of almost forgotten Brazilian film movement of the sixties cinema novo. It is a daring impressionistic essay of a new genre showing us that cinema today could be at once political and sensual, poetical and engaged, formal and narrative, fictional and non-fictional - an interpretation of a mundo novo - of a new world.