Most in the UAE will have to wait until Monday morning to find out the big winners at this year's Cannes Film Festival, with directors including Ken Loach (I, Daniel Blake) and Paul Verhoeven (Elle) among the top contenders for the coveted Palme d'Or.
Outside of the main competition, however, prizes have already begun to be handed out, and there was good news for titles from the region.
In the Semaine de la Critique (Critic Week) awards, Oliver Laxe's drama Mimosas, which was filmed in Morocco and co-produced with funding from Morocco and Qatar, took the top gong, the Nespresso Grand Prix. Turkish satire Album, from director Mehmet Can Mertoglu, took the Prix Révélation France 4.
Lebanese movie Tramontane, directed by Vatche Boulghourjian and part-funded by Dubai Film Market's Enjaaz fund, picked up a Rails d'Or award, presented to promising young directors.
The Un Certain Regard section prizes were also handed out on Saturday. There were high hopes that Mohamed Diab's Egyptian political drama Clash would take home a prize in the segment, but it fell short.
Check out Arts&Life tomorrow for our round up of the winner of the Palme d’Or and the other main prize winners.
artslife@thenational.ae
