After 21 world premieres, nearly two weeks of red-carpet parades and hundreds of thousands of camera flashes, the 76th Cannes Film Festival concludes on Saturday with the presentation of its top prize, the Palme d'Or.
One of cinema's most sought-after awards will be decided by this year's jury, presided over by two-time Palme winner Ruben Ostlund, the Swedish director. The brief ceremony will precede the festival's closing night film, the Pixar animation Elemental.
Any of the 21 films that played in Cannes' main competition line-up can win the Palme. Among the critical favorites of this year's festival are Jonathan Glazer's The Zone of Interest, a chilling Martin Amis adaptation about a German family living next door to Auschwitz; Fallen Leaves, Finnish filmmaker Aki Kaurismaki's deadpan romance; and Anatomy of a Fall, Justine Triet's twisty French Alps courtroom drama.
Two of those – Anatomy of a Fall and The Zone of Interest – star German actor Sandra Huller, a likely candidate for best actress.
Saturday’s ceremony draws to close a Cannes event that hasn't lacked spectacle, stars or controversy.
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Director Martin Scorsese and Lily Gladstone arrive on the red carpet for the screening of Killers of the Flower Moon during the 76th edition of the Cannes Film Festival. AFP -
Leonardo Dicaprio stars in and co-produces Scorcese's latest film. AFP -
Salma Hayek on the red carpet in an Alexander McQueen gown. EPA -
Izabel Goulart arrives for the premiere at the Cannes Film Festival. AP -
Pritika Swarup on the red carpet in Cannes, Frances. EPA -
Stephania Morales blows kisses for the camera. Getty -
Yancey Red Corn, Chief Standing Bear and Leonardo DiCaprio. AP -
Tobey Maguire and Lukas Haas pose together on the red carpet. AFP -
Alexa Chung dons a red gown to the screening. EPA -
Irina Shayk and Riccardo Tisci arrive for the screening in Cannes, France. EPA -
Diipa Buller-Khosla waves to photographers as she arrives for the premiere. AP -
Naomi Campbell on the red carpet before the premiere. AFP -
Adriana Lima glitters on the red carpet as she arrives for the screening. AFP -
Kirsten Dunst walks the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival. Reuters -
Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro suit up for the premiere. AP -
Alessandra Ambrosio attends the Killers of the Flower Moon premiere. AFP -
Cate Blanchett in a floor-length Louis Vuitton gown. EPA -
Lana Scolaro at Scorsese's film premiere at Cannes. AFP
The biggest wattage premieres came out of competition. Martin Scorsese debuted his Osage murders epic Killers of the Flower Moon, a sprawling vision of American exploitation starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Lily Gladstone. Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, Harrison Ford's Indy farewell, launched with a tribute to Ford. And Wes Anderson premiered Asteroid City.
The festival opened on a note of controversy. Jeanne du Barry, a period drama co-starring Johnny Depp as Louis XV, played as the opening night film. The premiere marked Depp's highest profile appearance since the conclusion of his trial last year with ex-wife Amber Heard.
The selection of Jeanne du Barry added to criticisms of Cannes for being too hospitable to men accused of abusive behaviour.
Cannes, which requires films in competition to abide by France's strict theatrical windowing rules, has remained at an impasse with Netflix in recent years. Yet, intriguingly, a Netflix release could feasibly win the Palme. After Todd Haynes's May December, starring Natalie Portman and Julianne Moore, premiered in competition, Netflix acquired it for distribution in North America for a reported $11 million.
