Rome, 23 May (LaPresse) – The Palme d’Or for the 79th Cannes Film Festival is due to be awarded this evening. Never before has the race for the award been so wide open, both due to the almost total absence of Hollywood films and the lukewarm reception from critics towards the films in competition. Everything is in the hands of the jury, chaired by Korean director Park Chan-wook and comprising, among others, Demi Moore, Chloé Zhao and Stellan Skarsgård. Among the festival’s most acclaimed films are ‘Fatherland’ by Polish director Pawel Pawlikowski, a black-and-white reflection on art and politics in the post-war era; “All of a sudden” by Japanese director Ryusuke Hamaguchi, a moving three-hour film dedicated to care for the elderly; “Minotaur” by Russian director Andrey Zvyagintsev, a drama of crime and punishment in contemporary Russia; and “Fjord”, a social services nightmare set in Norway by Romanian director Cristian Mungiu. But on the penultimate day of the festival, a possible dark horse emerged. “The Black Ball” by Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi received a long standing ovation from the audience. The film tells the story of three gay men across the generations.
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