The White Ribbon proved to be the lord of the Cannes

Tuesday, May 26, 2009 at 6:35 pm

The White Ribbon proved to be the lord of the Cannes Finally the Cannes has wrapped up on Sunday, amid hundreds of screenings and thousands of snaps from the paparazzi, there could only be one Palme d’Or winner.

The White Ribbon,” by Austrian director Michael Haneke, was awarded the prize for its depiction of the cruel punishments meted out at a rural German school before the First World War.

“The Palme d’Or is the best prize a filmmaker can win,” said Haneke at a press conference following his award. “I am not proud, but I am very happy. In my opinion, it’s silly to be proud.”

It was a case of fifth time lucky for Haneke, who has previously been nominated for the award for “Funny Games” (1997), “Code Unknown” (2000), “The Piano Teacher” (2001) and “Hidden” (2005).

“There are always rumors at the festival, and one must not take them seriously,” the director said. “When I presented “Hidden” [in 2005], everyone was telling me I was going to win the Palme. And I didn’t get it.”

Cannes jury president Isabelle Huppert, the French actress who won the best actress prize at the 2001 festival for “The Piano Teacher,” said she was delighted to have the chance to honor her former director.

“I think I always loved him as a director, and that’s why I’ve worked with him before,” she said at the post-awards press conference.