Cannes 2021: 'Titane' wins Palme d'Or, check the complete list of Cannes 2021 winners

The 2021 Cannes Film Festival concluded on Saturday, July 17  with jury president Spike Lee jumping the gun by announcing Palme d'Or winner Titane before any other award. This year's best actor award was won by Caleb Landry Jones while Norwegian star Renate Reinsve took home the award for best actress. In a historic win, Julia Ducournau won the Palme d’Or for her film Titane, making her the second female director in her 74-year history ever to win the Cannes Film Festival’s top prize.

According to Variety, the Titane director in her movie narrates a radical horror story of a young female killer who has sex with cars after surviving a childhood crash. The big win was goofed up by the president, Lee, the director who did not show up to the stage till a formal announcement was made at the end of the ceremony. In one of the many surprised in the event, Spike accidentally announced the Palme winner at the top of the ceremony. 

Ducournau becomes the second Palme d'Or winner 

In her acceptance speech, the director described her fascination with the award functions as a child. She said," At that time, I was sure that all the films awarded must have been perfect because they were on the stage. And tonight, I'm on that same stage, but I know my film is not perfect -- but I think no film is perfect in the eyes of the person who made it. You could even say mine is monstrous." 

Earlier during the night, Nitram was honoured by the jury for its unconventional portrait of a mass killing. The first winner to accept an award was film star Caleb Landry Jones, who appeared extremely nervous at the podium and declined to give a speech. Jones was awarded the best actor for his thrilling role as the perpetrator of the Australian Port Arthur Massacre. 

The best actress award was taken home by Norwegian thespian Renate Reinsve for her breathtaking performance in The Worst Person in the World. The movie talks about a young woman who judges herself harshly for being unable to decide between lovers, career paths and whether she wants to raise a family. Meanwhile, the best director award was taken home by Leos Carax for Annette, a musical about a celebrity couple whose relationship is clashing with their careers. 

Japanese director Ryusuke Hamaguchi was awarded the best screenplay for Drive My Car, which is a three-hour adaptation of Haruki Murakami's 40-page short story. Special jury prizes were awarded to Nadav Lapid Ahed's Knee and Apichatpong Weerasethakul's Memoria. 

A majority female group was led by President Lee that included French-Senegalese actor-director Mati Diop, American actor-filmmaker Maggie Gyllenhaal, Austrian director Jessica Hausner, French actor-helmer Melanie Laurent, Brazilian helmer Kleber Mendonca Filho, French actor Tahar Rahim, South Korean actor Song Kang-ho and cult French singer Mylene Farmer. The prestigious first feature prize in Cannes 2021, Camera d'Or was awarded to Antoneta Alamat Kusijanovic's Murina that dealt with the story of a young woman and her attraction to a stranger who arrives on her remote island. 

Here is a full list of Cannes 2021 winners

Palme d'Or: Titane

Grand Prix -- TIE: Asghar Farhadi,  A Hero and Juho Kuosmanen's Compartment No. 6

Director: Leos Carax, Annette

Actor: Caleb Landry Jones, Nitram

Actress: Renate Reinsve, The Worst Person in the World

Jury Prize -- Tie: Nadav Lapid's Ahed's Knee and Apichatpong Weerasethakul's Memoria

Screenplay: Ryusuke Hamaguchi, Drive My Car

Other prizes- 

Camera d'Or: Murina, Antoneta Alamat Kusijanovic

Short Films Palme d'Or: All the Crows in the World, Tang Yi

Short Films Special Mention: August Sky, Jasmin Tenucci

Golden Eye Documentary Prize: A Night of Knowing Nothing,  Payal Kapadia

Queer Palm: The Divide

This was the first full-scale film festival to take place since the start of the pandemic since last year's Cannes event was cancelled due to pandemic restrictions. 

(WITH ANI INPUTS)

(IMAGE- ATWWALLOWAY/PARISMATCH_MAGAZINE)