‘The Invisible Life of Euridice Gusmao’ Wins Top Award in Cannes Un Certain Regard Section

Cannes 2019: Other winners included “The Fire Will Come,” “Beanpole,” “On a Magical Night” and “The Climb”

The Invisible Life of Euridice Gusmao
"The Invisible Life of Euridice Gusmao"

Karim Ainouz’s “The Invisible Life of Euridice Gusmao” has been named the best film in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival, a jury headed by director Nadine Labaki announced on Friday.

The Brazilian family drama was adapted from a decades-spanning novel by Martha Batalha but focuses on the 1950s, when the status of women in Brazilian society was undergoing change. It deals with two women who cause family upheaval by challenging the patriarchy.

Other awards in the Un Certain Regard section were Oliver Laxe’s “The Fire Will Come,” Jury Prize; Kantemir Balagov for “Beanpole,” Best Director; Chiara Mastroianni for “On a Magical Night,” Best Performance; and Michael Angelo Covino’s “The Climb” and Monia Chokri’s “A Brother’s Love,” Un Certain Regard Heart Prize.

Bruno Dumont received a special mention for his film “Joan of Arc,” while Albert Serra received a special jury prize for “Liberte.”

The Un Certain Regard section typically showcases adventurous work from directors with a lower profile than those chosen for the Main Competition, along with challenging films from known directors. This year’s selection also included Annie Silverstein’s “Bull,” Danielle Lessovitz’s “Port Authority,” Mounia Meddour’s “Papicha,” Maryam Touzani’s “Adam,” Midi Z’s “Nina Wu” and Nariman Aliev’s “Homeward.”

Other jurors making the selections were French actress Marina Fois, Belgian director Lukas Dhont, Argentinian director Lisandro Alonso and German producer Nurhan Sekerci-Porst.

The Palme d’Or and other awards for Cannes’ main competition will be handed out on Saturday evening.

The awards:

Un Certain Regard Prize: “The Invisible Life of Euridice Gusmao,” Karim Ainouz
Jury Prize: “The Fire Will Come,” Oliver Laxe
Best Director: Kantemir Balagov, “Beanpole”
Best Performance: Chiara Mastroianni, “On a Magical Night,”
Un Certain Regard Heart Prize: Michael Angelo Covino’s “The Climb” and Monia Chokri’s “A Brother’s Love”
Special Jury Prize: Albert Serra, “Liberte”
Special Jury Mention: “Joan of Arc,” Bruno Dumont

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