Un Certain Regard Winners: ‘Wind River’s Taylor Sheridan, ‘A Man Of Integrity’, ‘April’s Daughter’ & More – Cannes

With another 24 hours to go before the main prizes, including the Palme d’Or, are awarded here at the Cannes Film Festival, sidebar Un Certain Regard has designated its laureates. Iranian drama, Lerd (A Man Of Integrity) scooped the main Un Certain Regard prize. Directed by Mohammad Rasoulof, it was reportedly made in secret and looks at the effects of corruption on a man and his family.

Taylor Sheridan was named Best Director for Wind River. The timely thriller, which premiered in an unfinished version in Sundance last January, follows a game tracker (Jeremy Renner) and an FBI agent (Elizabeth Olsen) who go on a manhunt for the murderer of a Native American teenage girl on Wyoming’s Wind River Indian Reservation.

This is the third year in a row that Sheridan has a film in Official Selection. But the Sicario and Hell Or High Water writer made his Croisette debut as director with Wind River. The Weinstein Co releases domestically on August 4.

Michel Franco scooped the Jury Prize with his Mexican film, April’s Daughter. The family drama stars Emma Suarez of Pedro Almodovar’s 2016 pic Julieta. A prize for the Best Poetic Narrative went to Mathieu Amalric’s film-within-a-film biopic Barbara about the French chanteuse and which opened the section.

Best Actress was won by Jasmine Trinca, for Sergio Catellitto’s Italian drama Fortunata, about a young mother with a failed marriage behind her, who fights daily for her dream to open a hair salon.

Uma Thurman was President of the UCR jury which commented, “We feel enormous gratitude to have had the honor of serving on the jury for this historic 70th anniversary of the Festival de Cannes. We are proud to present an esthetically diverse and beautiful Un Certain Regard awards.”

Separately, the International Federation of Film Critics named its winners today. From the Competition, the FIPRESCI went to Robin Campillo’s 120 Beats Per Minute. Campillo, who penned the 2008 Palme d’Or winner, The Class, was part of Deadline’s Ones To Watch this year. The Orchard acquired U.S. rights to BPM earlier in the festival.

Also taking FIPRESCIs are Closeness, an Un Certain Regard title by Kantemir Balagov and Directors’ Fortnight film The Nothing Factory by Pedro Pinho.

The Ecumenical Jury Prize went to Naomi Kawase’s Competition title Hikari.