South Korean director Bong Joon-ho\u2019s social satire \u201cParasite,\u201d about a poor family of hustlers who find jobs with a wealthy family, won the Cannes Film Festival\u2019s top award, the Palme d\u2019Or, on Saturday.
\nThe win for \u201cParasite\u201d marks the first Korean film to ever win the Palme. In the festival\u2019s closing ceremony, jury president Alejandro Inarritu said the choice had been \u201cunanimous\u201d for the nine-person jury.
\nThe genre-mixing film had been celebrated as arguably the most critically acclaimed film at Cannes this year and the best yet from the 49-year-old director of \u201cSnowpiercer\u201d and \u201cOkja.\u201d
\nIt was the second straight Palme victory for an Asian director. Last year, the award went to Japanese filmmaker Hirokazu Kore-eda\u2019s \u201cShoplifters.\u201d
\nTwo years ago, Bong was in Cannes\u2019 competition with \u201cOkja,\u201d a movie distributed in North America by Netflix. After it and Noah Baumbach\u2019s \u201cThe Meyerowitz Stories\u201d \u2014 another Netflix release \u2014 premiered in Cannes, the festival ruled that all films in competition needed French theatrical distribution. Netflix has since withdrawn from the festival on the French Riveira.
\nThe festival\u2019s second place award, the Grand Prize, went to French-Senegalese director Mati Diop\u2019s \u201cAtlantics.\u201d Diop was the first black female director in competition at Cannes.
\nBelgian brothers Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne shared the best director for \u201cYoung Ahmed.\u201d
\nBest actor went to Antonio Banderas for Pedro Almodovar\u2019s \u201cPain and Glory,\u201d while best actress was won by British actress Emily Beecham for \u201cLittle Joe.\u201d
\nAlthough few quibbled with the choice of Bong, some had expected Cannes to make history by giving the Palme to a female filmmaker for just the second time.
\nCeline Sciamma\u2019s period romance \u201cPortrait of a Lady on Fire\u201d was the Palme pick for many critics this year, but it ended up with best screenplay.
\nIn the festival\u2019s 72-year history, only Jane Champion has won the prize in 1993, and she tied with Chen Kaige\u2019s \u201cFarewell My Concubine.\u201d<\/p>\n
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South Korean director Bong Joon-ho\u2019s social satire \u201cParasite,\u201d about a poor family of hustlers who find jobs with a wealthy family, won the Cannes Film Festival\u2019s top award, the Palme d\u2019Or, on Saturday. The win for \u201cParasite\u201d marks the first Korean film to ever win the Palme. In the festival\u2019s closing ceremony, jury president Alejandro […]<\/p>\n