The 70th annual Cannes Film Festival came to a close Sunday night with the main competition awards ceremony at the Palais des Festivals, reports The Hollywood Reporter.
The Square, by Swedish writer-director Ruben Ostlund, won the top prize, the Palme d'Or. The satire, the follow-up to Ostlund's 2014 international hit Force Majeure, explores Swedish art, commerce, politics and national identity stars Claes Bang and Elisabeth Moss.
The story centers on a man who is overseeing a new art installation called The Square, a sanctuary where anyone entering it is supposed to abide by humanitarian values -- but things quickly go awry.
When he took the stage to accept his award, Ostlund led the crowd in a "scream of happiness" and told photographers to turn their cameras away from him and into the audience. He counted down, and the audience led out a massive scream. "I can direct you all now because I won this prize," he said.
The Grand Prix was awarded to 120 Beats per Minute by Robin Campillo, which follows "Eastern Boys" by mining his past as a member of AIDS activist group ACT UP in 1990s Paris.
Nicole Kidman was honored with a special prize for the festival's 70th anniversary. The actress appeared in competition projects Killing of a Sacred Deer and The Beguiled, along with the second season of Jane Campion's Top of the Lake, and the film How to Talk to Girls at Parties. Will Smith accepted the award in her absence, and a special video message from Kidman was presented.
Sofia Coppola took the prize for best director for her film The Beguiled, starring Nicole Kidman and Colin Farrell. Maren Ade accepted for Coppola, who was not present. She ended the speech by thanking director Jane Campion for being a role model.
Joaquin Phoenix was awarded the best actor prize for Lynne Ramsay's You Were Never Really Here.The actor stars as a hitman trying to save a teen prostitute.
Diane Kruger was honored with the best actress award for her work in In the Fade. Fatih Akin's courtroom and revenge drama saw the German actress doing a German-language film for the first time.