Cannes Video 2025 # 8: Prize winners | Chaz in Cannes

Chaz Ebert reveals the winners of the 78th edition of the Cannes Festival; Watch the video and read the transcription below.

Chaz:

The prizes of the 78th edition of the Cannes Film Festival were awarded. And we have all the details for you. Unlike previous years, with many pumps and circumstances, this year’s reward evening has not presented musical performance or presentation of an honorary palm of gold. They just entered the prices, so we will do the same. Before the main prices, the short film Palme d’Or was presented at Tawfeek Barhom for his film “I am happy that you are dead now.”

During the press conference, Barhom explained how he initially became an actor to get closer to the cinema and finally developed the relationship with the legendary director Terrence Malick.

Tawfeek Barhom:

So, each film I made, I did much more than acting. With Terrence Malick, he gave me a camera and I sometimes drew stuff, and we were together all the time. He would not start a stage without me. At the beginning of the first week, he wanted to fire me, but everything returned, and in a way tested me with, like a big scene, and he started to love me. And this film is really thanks to him. He gave me a letter of recommendation.

And with this letter, I went to the biggest studio in Greece. And I gave them the letter and they were like, yes, of course we are going to do it, we will make this film.

Chaz:

The camera prize for the first feature filmmaker was mentioned in Akinola Davies, Jr. for “My Father’s Shadow”, and the main prize was awarded by the president of the Jury Alice Rohrwacher to “The President’s Cake” by the director Hasan Hadi.

Now it was the first rods never presented to the films of Nigeria and Iraq.

The first major prize was awarded to the Chinese director Bi Gan for his avant-garde film which lasted the history of cinema: “Resurrection”.

I was delighted to see Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne win a prize for the best screenplay for “Young Mothers”, a film that deeply touched me. It was the ninth Cannes Cannes prize for Belgium brothers during their long career, and earlier in the day, I spoke to the Dardenne Brothers about what their film meant for me.

I am a little nervous because it is very personal for me. I love your work so much. And there is a question at the end of that, but I want to tell you that I was so moved by that because I was a teenage mother. I was 16 and I was expelled from the university. I was at university.

I was expelled. It was stigma and ugly stigma of being African-American and pregnant at the time. It was in the 70s. So my son and my daughter are very old now, and I thought I had put all this behind me until I saw your film, and I saw how young girls were in the film.

And I was wondering, I am never so young? I’m going to get to my question, but I didn’t know I was going to become emotional.

Excuse me. Your films have so much goodness in them. So much empathy. For me, one of the noblest things that cinema can make is to make you feel something. Put yourself in the place of someone else who is different from you and you can understand them a little and bring people together. This is why I love your films so much, and I want to know where this inherent kindness does in each of your films, that you are talking about “Rosetta”, “The child”, “The son” so much of your films, I see a nucleus that you have a moral nucleus, and there is an inherent kindness.

Where does he come from? Does it come from your education? Did it just work with each other? What do you make your movies like that? THANKS.

Jean-Pierre Dardenne:

Yes. Thank you, thank you. And now in French.

Without, using high words, I think that like a filmmaker, like a human being too. Who is a filmmaker? We are filmmakers. We are really, really, absolutely interested in our characters. We want our characters to be present, as much as possible. The picturesque and non -picturesque, ranging from their manners, from their friends, the way they speak, their way of moving.

They must be very present. Because fundamentally, we really like our characters. We love Rian, we really love Julie. We love them all. We really like for them. To be able to exist before the camera, be as present as possible. Because as for the rest of the film, what explains a movement? Why do the characters move this way or that?

This is because we always try to find the way these characters will be as present on the screen as possible. Sometimes it’s just a close -up for a few seconds that may be enough. This is what interests us, the human being. How as simply as possible, can you film human beings so that they are really present and tell you something as a spectator?

Move the spectator since certain viewers, some public members, feel things vibrate in themselves and they are not the same when they leave the room as when they entered it.

Chaz:

The jury prize was divided between the unconventional road film “Sirât”, by director Oliver Laxe and the German film “Sound of Falling” by Mascha Schilinski.

In a little surprise, the prize for best actress was awarded to Nadia Melliti in her first career role, who played a young woman to discover her sexuality in a conservative culture in French Algeria in “Little Sister”.

Nadia Melliti:

I think people who will see the film will probably understand this message of tolerance, tolerance to others. We live in a fairly complex society, and I believe that what we have seen through this character will make it possible to engage in discussions and to reflect on certain subjects which are quite difficult to approach.

In France in particular, it is important for me to transmit this message, and if this is advantageous for young people who can identify with this story, then I feel very happy and proud.

Chaz:

The price for best actor was awarded to Wagner Moura for his performance in “The Secret Agent”. Mr. Moura could not be present, so the price was accepted on his behalf by his director Kleber Mendonça Filho.

Filho, who also won the prize for the best director for “The Secret Agent”, although it took a few minutes to reach the scene.

Finally, Wagner Moura was able to appear at the press conference.

Son:

So would you say a few words? I think in English, because we have many international journalists tonight.

Wagner Moura:

I would love to be there with all of you. But I am here alone, with a glass of wine in London alone. I couldn’t be happier. It was such an important moment in my life, just to work with Kleber, to be with him. I have been trying to work with him for many years, and I am very, very happy for all this, to do it for the way this film was received, because it is a Brazilian film and that means a lot for Brazilian culture.

And I just think it’s a shame I celebrate for myself. I would have liked to be there with you all. Right away. Thank you so much.

Chaz:

The Grand Prix, the Grand Prix was awarded to Joachim Trier for his film on the family, paternity and the production of films: “Sentimental Value”, with Renata Reinsve, Stellan Skarsgård and Elle Fanning.

Finally, it was time to present the first prize, the golden palm. And the prize awarded by the president of the jury Madame Juliette Binoche and Madame Cate Blanchett, went to “it was only an accident” of the Iranian director Jafar Panahi.

Sew:

No, I don’t consider it personally. I think the people of Iranian cinema had to fight hard to reach this point.

All my colleagues worked in circumstances even more difficult than me at the time. No one knew Iranian cinema in the world, but these other people have laid the foundations of Iranian cinema and allowed us to reach this point today.

Chaz:

Earlier in the day, I announced that I was presented the same film with the first Feck / Cannes prize for having portrayed forgiveness, empathy, compassion and kindness.

This is everything for Cannes 2025. Although I have been coming to Cannes for many years, with everything that happens in the world today, this edition was different. I felt immense gratitude to be surrounded by the magical world of films and people from countries around the world who love them here. This world of dreams and reality are integrated in a way that brings people together.

And we are so grateful that you joined us along the way. We look forward to seeing you again next year on the Croisette and in the cinemas. And until then, goodbye.