Iranian Zar Amir Ebrahimi wins Best Actress at Cannes

'Holy Spider', directed by Iranian Ali Abbasi, was inspired by the true story of a serial killer

The award winners on stage during the closing ceremony for the 75th annual Cannes Film Festival at Palais des Festivals in Cannes, France. Getty Images

Director Lukas Dhont, right, co-winner of the Grand Prix award for the film 'Close', with actor Eden Dambrine. Reuters

Writer/director Ruben Ostlund, winner of the Palme d'Or for 'Triangle of Sadness,' with actress Dolly De Leon, during the photocall following the awards ceremony at the 75th Cannes Film Festival. AP

From left, Chie Hayakawa holds the Camera D'Or Special Distinction Award for 'Plan 75'; actress Rossy de Palma; and director Gina Gammell, winner of the Camera d'Or award in Un Certain Regard for 'War Pony', during the photocall following the awards ceremony at Cannes. AP

Song Kang-ho, winner of the Best Actor award for 'Broker,' at the photocall following the awards ceremony. AP

Writer and director Ruben Ostlund, winner of the Palme d'Or for 'Triangle of Sadness'. AP

Claire Denis, winner of the Grand Prix for 'Stars at Noon'. AP

Directors Luc Dardenne, left, and Jean-Pierre Dardenne, winners of the 75th Prize for 'Tori and Lokita'. AP

Director Tarik Saleh, Best Screenplay award winner for the film 'Boy From Heaven'. Reuters

From left, Cannes Film Festival 2022 winners, British director and screenwriter Gina Gammell, Chinese director Jianying Chen and South Korean actor Park Yong-woo, at the closing ceremony. AFP

Felix van Groeningen, left, and Charlotte Vandermeersch, winners of the Jury Prize for 'Eight Mountains'. AP

Director Gina Gammell, winner of the Camera d'Or award in Un Certain Regard for 'War Pony'. AP

Zar Amir Ebrahimi, Best Actress award winner for 'Holy Spider'. AP

Abinash Bikram Shah, Short film Special Distinction award winner for 'Lori'. Reuters

Director Park Chan-wook, Best Director award winner for 'Decision to Leave'. AP

Director Ruben Ostlund, Palme d'Or award winner for the film 'Triangle of Sadness'. Reuters

Iranian Zar Amir Ebrahimi has been named Best Actress at the Cannes Film Festival for her role in Holy Spider, in which she plays a journalist trying to solve a series of murders in the city of Mashhad.

Swedish filmmaker Ruben Ostlund was awarded the festival’s top prize, the Palme d'Or, for Triangle Of Sadness.

Scroll through the gallery above to see all the winners at Cannes Film Festival 2022.

French-Tunisian Adam Bessa won recognition for his acting in the Un Certain Regard section of Cannes for his work in Harka.

“I have come a long way to be on this stage tonight,” Ebrahimi said.

“It was not an easy story. It was humiliation, it was solitude, but there was cinema. It was darkness but there was cinema. Now I'm standing in front of you on a night of joy.”

Holy Spider, directed by Iranian Ali Abbasi, is inspired by the true story of a man who killed women in the early 2000s and became known as the Spider Killer.

Scroll through the gallery below for the best fashion from Cannes Film Festival 2022:

Abbasi was denied permission to film in Iran and it was shot in Jordan instead.

Ebrahimi became a star in Iran in her early twenties for her supporting role in one of its longest-running soap operas, Nargess.

“Thank you, Ali Abbasi for being so crazy and so generous and for directing against all odds this powerful thing,” Ebrahimi said. Cinema, she added, has “practically saved my life”.

It is the second time Ostlund, 48, has received the Palme d'Or after The Square in 2017.

French actor Vincent Lindon led the festival's jury, with other members including Rebecca Hall, Deepika Padukone, Noomi Rapace, Jasmine Trinca, Asghar Farhadi, Ladj Ly, Jeff Nichols and Joachim Trier.

A total of 21 films were up for the award, including Crimes of the Future, directed by David Cronenberg, and Armageddon Time by James Gray.

Best Screenplay for 2022 was awarded to Boy From Heaven, directed by Egyptian-Swedish filmmaker Tarik Saleh, while Song Kang-ho won the Best Actor award for Broker. Park Chan-wook received the Best Director award for Decision to Leave.

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