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Palme d'Or
Palme dor.png
Presented by Cannes Film Festival
Location Cannes
Country France
First awarded 1955
Currently held by Anora (2024)

The Palme d'Or ( English: Golden Palm) is the highest prize awarded at the Cannes Film Festival. It was introduced in 1955 by the festival's organizing committee. Previously, from 1939 to 1954, the festival's highest prize was the Grand Prix du Festival International du Film. In 1964, the Palme d'Or was replaced again by the Grand Prix, before being reintroduced in 1975.

The Palme d'Or is widely considered one of the film industry's most prestigious awards.

History

FRA Cannes COA
The Commune of Cannes coat of arms

In 1954, the festival decided to present an award annually, titled the Grand Prix of the International Film Festival, with a new design each year from a contemporary artist. The festival's board of directors invited several jewellers to submit designs for a palm, in tribute to the coat of arms of the city of Cannes, evoking the famous legend of Saint Honorat and the palm trees lining the famous Promenade de la Croisette. The original design by Parisian jeweller Lucienne Lazon, inspired by a sketch by director Jean Cocteau, had the bevelled lower extremity of the stem forming a heart, and the pedestal a sculpture in terracotta by the artist Sébastien.

In 1955, the first Palme d'Or was awarded to Delbert Mann for his film Marty. From 1964 to 1974, the festival temporarily resumed a Grand Prix. In 1975, the Palme d'Or was reintroduced and has since remained the festival's symbol, awarded each year to the director of the winning film, presented in a case of pure red Morocco leather lined with white suede.

Palmed'or
Palme d'Or awarded to Apocalypse Now at the 1979 Cannes Film Festival

As of 2023, Jane Campion, Julia Ducournau, and Justine Triet are the only female directors to have won the Palme d'Or (for The Piano, Titane, and Anatomy of a Fall, respectively). However, in 2013, when Blue Is the Warmest Color won the Palme d'Or, the jury headed by Steven Spielberg awarded it to the film's actresses Adèle Exarchopoulos and Léa Seydoux, as well as the director Abdellatif Kechiche. This remains the only instance where multiple Palme d'Or trophies were presented. The jury decided to include the actresses in the recognition due to a Cannes policy that forbids the Palme d'Or-winning film from receiving any additional awards. This policy would have prevented the jury from acknowledging the actresses separately.

Regarding the unorthodox decision, Spielberg commented, "Had the casting been 3% wrong, [the film] wouldn't have worked like it did for us". Subsequently, Kechiche auctioned off his Palme d'Or trophy to fund his new feature film. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, he expressed dissatisfaction with the festival's decision to award multiple trophies, stating that he felt they had "publicly insulted" him. He added, "Liberating myself from this Palme d'Or is a way of washing my hands of this sorry affair".

Since its reintroduction, the prize has been redesigned several times. At the beginning of the 1980s, the rounded shape of the pedestal, bearing the palm has gradually transformed to become pyramidal in 1984. In 1992, Thierry de Bourqueney redesigned the Palme and its pedestal in hand-cut crystal. In 1997, Caroline Scheufele redesigned the statuette; since then, it has been manufactured by the Swiss jewellery firm Chopard. The palm is made from 4.16 oz (118 g) of 18-carat yellow gold while the branch's base forms a small heart. The Palme d'or rests on a dainty crystal cushion shaped like an emerald-cut diamond. A single piece of cut crystal forms a cushion for the palm, which is hand-cast into a wax mould and now presented in a case of blue Morocco leather. In 1998, Theo Angelopoulos was the first director to win the Palme d'or as it appears today, for his film Eternity and a Day.

In 2017, the award was redesigned to celebrate the festival's 70th anniversary. The diamonds were provided by an ethical supplier certified by the Responsible Jewellery Council.

The 2020 Cannes Film Festival was cancelled due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. 56 films were announced as official selections by the festival, but no awards were presented.

Winners

Year English Title Original title Director(s) Production Country Ref.
1939 The inaugural Cannes Film Festival was to have been held in 1939, but was cancelled due to the outbreak of the Second World War. The festival was not inaugurated until after the conclusion of the war. Sixty-three years later, the organizers of the 2002 festival assembled a jury of six members, including Dieter Kosslick and Alberto Barbera, to watch seven of the twelve features which had been entered into the 1939 competition, namely: Goodbye, Mr. Chips, La Loi du Nord, Lenin in 1918, The Four Feathers, The Wizard of Oz, Union Pacific, and Boefje. Union Pacific by Cecil B. DeMille was retrospectively voted the winner of the 1939 Palme d'Or.
Awarded as "Grand Prix du Festival International du Film"
1946 Brief Encounter Lean, DavidDavid Lean United Kingdom
The Last Chance Die Letzte Chance Lindtberg, LeopoldLeopold Lindtberg Switzerland
The Lost Weekend Wilder, BillyBilly Wilder United States
María Candelaria Fernández, EmilioEmilio Fernández Mexico
Men Without Wings Muži bez křídel Čáp, FrantišekFrantišek Čáp Czechoslovakia
Neecha Nagar Anand, ChetanChetan Anand India
Pastoral Symphony La symphonie pastorale Delannoy, JeanJean Delannoy France
The Red Meadows De røde enge Ipsen, BodilBodil Ipsen & Lauritzen Jr., LauLau Lauritzen Jr. Denmark
Rome, Open City Roma, città aperta Rossellini, RobertoRoberto Rossellini Italy
Torment Hets Sjöberg, AlfAlf Sjöberg Sweden
The Turning Point Великий перелом Ermler, FridrikhFridrikh Ermler Soviet Union
Awarded as "Grand Prix"
1947 Antoine and Antoinette (Best Psychological & Love Film) Antoine et Antoinette Becker, JacquesJacques Becker France
Crossfire (Best Social Film) Dmytryk, EdwardEdward Dmytryk United States
The Damned (Best Adventure & Crime Film) Les Maudits Clément, RenéRené Clément France
Dumbo (Best Animation Design) Sharpsteen, BenBen Sharpsteen United States
Ziegfeld Follies (Best Musical Comedy) Minnelli, VincenteVincente Minnelli
1948 Festival cancelled
1949 The Third Man Reed, CarolCarol Reed United Kingdom
1950 Festival cancelled
1951 Miracle in Milan Miracolo a Milano De Sica, VittorioVittorio De Sica Italy
Miss Julie Fröken Julie Sjöberg, AlfAlf Sjöberg Sweden
1952 Othello Welles, OrsonOrson Welles Italy, Morocco
Two Cents Worth of Hope Due soldi di speranza Castellani, RenatoRenato Castellani Italy
1953 The Wages of Fear Le salaire de la peur Clouzot, Henri-GeorgesHenri-Georges Clouzot France
1954 Gate of Hell 地獄門 Kinugasa, TeinosukeTeinosuke Kinugasa Japan
Awarded as "Palme d'Or"
1955 Marty § Mann, DelbertDelbert Mann United States
1956 The Silent World Le monde du silence Cousteau, JacquesJacques Cousteau & Malle, LouisLouis Malle France
1957 Friendly Persuasion Wyler, WilliamWilliam Wyler United States
1958 The Cranes Are Flying Летят журавли Kalatozov, MikhailMikhail Kalatozov Soviet Union
1959 Black Orpheus § Orfeu Negro Camus, MarcelMarcel Camus France, Brazil
1960 La dolce vita § Fellini, FedericoFederico Fellini Italy
1961 The Long Absence § Une aussi longue absence Colpi, HenriHenri Colpi France
Viridiana § Buñuel, LuisLuis Buñuel Spain
1962 O Pagador de Promessas § Duarte, AnselmoAnselmo Duarte Brazil
1963 The Leopard § Il gattopardo Visconti, LuchinoLuchino Visconti Italy
Awarded as "Grand Prix du Festival International du Film"
1964 The Umbrellas of Cherbourg Les parapluies de Cherbourg Demy, JacquesJacques Demy France
1965 The Knack ...and How to Get It Lester, RichardRichard Lester United Kingdom
1966 The Birds, the Bees and the Italians Signore e signori Germi, PietroPietro Germi Italy
A Man and a Woman Un homme et une femme Lelouch, ClaudeClaude Lelouch France
1967 Blowup Antonioni, MichelangeloMichelangelo Antonioni United Kingdom
1968 The festival was cancelled midway through to show solidarity with the students and workers who were demonstrating in what became known as the May 68 movement.
1969 If.... Anderson, LindsayLindsay Anderson United Kingdom
1970 M*A*S*H Altman, RobertRobert Altman United States
1971 The Go-Between Losey, JosephJoseph Losey United Kingdom
1972 The Mattei Affair § Il caso Mattei Rosi, FrancescoFrancesco Rosi Italy
The Working Class Goes to Heaven § La classe operaia va in paradiso Petri, ElioElio Petri
1973 The Hireling Bridges, AlanAlan Bridges United Kingdom
Scarecrow Schatzberg, JerryJerry Schatzberg United States
1974 The Conversation Coppola, Francis FordFrancis Ford Coppola
Awarded as "Palme d'Or"
1975 Chronicle of the Years of Fire Chronique des années de braise Lakhdar-Hamina, MohammedMohammed Lakhdar-Hamina Algeria
1976 Taxi Driver Scorsese, MartinMartin Scorsese United States
1977 Padre Padrone Taviani, Paolo and VittorioPaolo and Vittorio Taviani Italy
1978 The Tree of Wooden Clogs § L'albero degli zoccoli Olmi, ErmannoErmanno Olmi
1979 Apocalypse Now Coppola, Francis FordFrancis Ford Coppola United States
The Tin Drum Die Blechtrommel Schlöndorff, VolkerVolker Schlöndorff West Germany, France
1980 All That Jazz Fosse, BobBob Fosse United States
Kagemusha 影武者 Kurosawa, AkiraAkira Kurosawa Japan
1981 Man of Iron Człowiek z żelaza Wajda, AndrzejAndrzej Wajda Poland
1982 Missing § Costa-Gavras United States
Yol § Güney, YılmazYılmaz Güney & Gören, ŞerifŞerif Gören Turkey
1983 The Ballad of Narayama 楢山節考 Imamura, ShōheiShōhei Imamura Japan
1984 Paris, Texas § Wenders, WimWim Wenders West Germany, France
1985 When Father Was Away on Business § Отац на службеном путу Kusturica, EmirEmir Kusturica Yugoslavia
1986 The Mission Joffé, RolandRoland Joffé United Kingdom
1987 Under the Sun of Satan § Sous le soleil de Satan Pialat, MauriceMaurice Pialat France
1988 Pelle the Conqueror Pelle Erobreren August, BilleBille August Denmark
1989 ... Lies, and Videotape Soderbergh, StevenSteven Soderbergh United States
1990 Wild at Heart Lynch, DavidDavid Lynch
1991 Barton Fink § Coen, JoelJoel Coen
1992 The Best Intentions Den goda viljan August, BilleBille August Denmark, Sweden
1993 Farewell My Concubine 霸王別姬 Chen, KaigeChen Kaige Hong Kong
The Piano Campion, JaneJane Campion New Zealand, Australia, France
1994 Pulp Fiction Tarantino, QuentinQuentin Tarantino United States
1995 Underground Подземље Kusturica, EmirEmir Kusturica Yugoslavia
1996 Secrets & Lies Leigh, MikeMike Leigh France, United Kingdom
1997 The Eel うなぎ Imamura, ShōheiShōhei Imamura Japan
Taste of Cherry طعم گيلاس Kiarostami, AbbasAbbas Kiarostami Iran
1998 Eternity and a Day § Μια αιωνιότητα και μια μέρα Angelopoulos, TheoTheo Angelopoulos Greece
1999 Rosetta § Dardenne, Jean-Pierre & LucJean-Pierre & Luc Dardenne Belgium
2000 Dancer in the Dark von Trier, LarsLars von Trier Denmark
2001 The Son's Room La stanza del figlio Moretti, NanniNanni Moretti Italy
2002 The Pianist Polanski, RomanRoman Polanski Poland, France, Germany, United Kingdom
2003 Elephant Van Sant, GusGus Van Sant United States
2004 Fahrenheit 9/11 Moore, MichaelMichael Moore
2005 L'Enfant Dardenne, Jean-Pierre & LucJean-Pierre & Luc Dardenne Belgium, France
2006 The Wind That Shakes the Barley § Loach, KenKen Loach Ireland, United Kingdom, Italy, Germany
2007 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days 4 luni, 3 săptămâni și 2 zile Mungiu, CristianCristian Mungiu Romania
2008 The Class § Entre les murs Cantet, LaurentLaurent Cantet France
2009 The White Ribbon Das weiße Band, Eine deutsche Kindergeschichte Haneke, MichaelMichael Haneke Germany, Austria, France
2010 Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives ลุงบุญมีระลึกชาติ Weerasethakul, ApichatpongApichatpong Weerasethakul Thailand, France, Germany
2011 The Tree of Life Malick, TerrenceTerrence Malick United States
2012 Amour Haneke, MichaelMichael Haneke France, Germany, Austria
2013 Blue Is the Warmest Colour § La Vie d'Adèle: Chapitres 1 et 2 Kechiche, AbdellatifAbdellatif Kechiche France, Belgium, Spain
2014 Winter Sleep Kış Uykusu Ceylan, Nuri BilgeNuri Bilge Ceylan Turkey, France, Germany
2015 Dheepan Audiard, JacquesJacques Audiard France
2016 I, Daniel Blake Loach, KenKen Loach United Kingdom
2017 The Square Östlund, RubenRuben Östlund Sweden, Germany, France, Denmark
2018 Shoplifters 万引き家族 Kore-eda, HirokazuHirokazu Kore-eda Japan
2019 Parasite § 기생충 Bong, Joon-hoBong Joon-ho South Korea
2020 Festival cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 56 films were announced as official selections by the festival, but no awards were presented.
2021 Titane Ducournau, JuliaJulia Ducournau France, Belgium
2022 Triangle of Sadness Östlund, RubenRuben Östlund Sweden, Germany, France, United Kingdom
2023 Anatomy of a Fall Anatomie d'une chute Triet, JustineJustine Triet France
2024 Anora Sean Baker United States
§ Denotes unanimous win

Special Palme d'Or

During the 2018 closing ceremony, the jury awarded a "Special Palme d'Or" for the first time ever. Even though the award was not intended to be an Honorary Palme d'Or to Jean-Luc Godard, the move was made as an homage to his career, and as an award to the film itself as well.

Year English Title Original Title Director Production Country Ref.
2018 The Image Book Le Livre d'image Jean-Luc Godard Switzerland

Multiple winners

Ten directors or co-directors have won the award twice. Three of them (Consecutive films) have won for consecutive films.

Honorary Palme d'Or

In 1997, on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Festival, the Cannes jury awarded a "Palme des Palmes" for the first time.

Year Recipient Profession Nationality of Recipient
1997 Ingmar Bergman Filmmaker Sweden

Since 2002 the festival began to award a non-competitive Honorary Palme d'Or to directors or actors who had achieved a notable body of work but who had never won a competitive Palme d'Or.

Year Recipient Profession Nationality of Recipient
2002 Woody Allen Filmmaker and actor United States
2003 Jeanne Moreau Actress France
2005 Catherine Deneuve
2007 Jane Fonda Actress and producer United States
2008 Manoel de Oliveira Filmmaker Portugal
2009 Clint Eastwood Actor and filmmaker United States
2011 Jean-Paul Belmondo Actor France
Bernardo Bertolucci Filmmaker Italy
2015 Agnès Varda Filmmaker France
2016 Jean-Pierre Léaud Actor
2017 Jeffrey Katzenberg Producer United States
2019 Alain Delon Actor France
2021 Marco Bellocchio Filmmaker Italy
Jodie Foster Actress and filmmaker United States
2022 Forest Whitaker Actor and producer
Tom Cruise
2023 Michael Douglas
Harrison Ford
2024 Meryl Streep Actress
George Lucas Filmmaker and producer
Studio Ghibli Animation Studio Japan

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Palma de Oro para niños

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