ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Tuesday, May 21, 1996 TAG: 9605210072
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 6 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: CANNES, FRANCE
SOURCE: MATT WOLF ASSOCIATED PRESS
``Secrets and Lies,'' British filmmaker Mike Leigh's emotionally draining film about a white woman discovering her black daughter, won the Golden Palm at the 49th Cannes Film Festival Monday.
Actress Brenda Blethyn, who plays the working class mother, was named best actress.
``Secrets and Lies'' had been a frontrunner for the prestigious prize, having taken the International Critics Prize announced Sunday night. Blethyn had been widely expected to win the best actress award.
The best actor award was shared by co-stars Daniel Auteuil and Pascal Duquenne for Belgian filmmaker Jaco Van Dormael's ``The Eighth Day,'' the moving story of one man's developing friendship with another who has Down syndrome.
Duquenne, a Belgian actor who has Down syndrome, shared the evening's sole standing ovation with Auteuil, as many in the audience wiped away tears.
Best director went to Joel Coen for ``Fargo,'' a droll comedy about a homicide investigation. Coen's film ``Barton Fink'' won the top prize at Cannes in 1991. The prize was accepted by his wife, Frances McDormand, who stars in ``Fargo.''
The second-place Grand Prize went to Danish filmmaker Lars Von Trier for his spiritual odyssey ``Breaking the Waves.'' The film, his first in English, was considered the other main competitor for the Golden Palm.
The French film ``A Self-Made Hero,'' was named for best screenplay. The film deals with a sensitive issue in France, a young man who falsely claims to be a French Resistance hero to further his ambitions after the war.
Announcing the award, jury president Francis Ford Coppola told the black tie audience, ``We debated this all day.''
The special jury prize was another subject of strong debate. The 1996 jury gave an award for ``originality, daring, and audacity'' to Canadian director David Cronenberg, whose film ``Crash'' unflinchingly links sexual arousal and car wrecks.
Coppola said several members of the jury abstained from this award. Joining Coppola on the jury were actresses Nathalie Baye and Greta Scacchi and director Atom Egoyan, among others.
In a ceremony Sunday night, France decorated director Robert Altman with the Chevalier of the Legion of Honor for lifetime achievement.
Over the years, the 71-year-old director has had eight films shown at the festival, and has won various awards. His latest movie, ``Kansas City,'' was in this year's competition.
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