2018 Cannes Film Festival

The Palme dÓr goes to Hiro Kore-eda for Shoplifters.  Here is a except from the LA Times.  Below is a link to the whole article.

Link to Article - Spike Lee in Second

He sat in his seat, perfectly still, as if he couldn't believe the news. And he was not the only one surprised, as master Japanese director Hirokazu Kore-eda was the unexpected but very welcome winner of the Cannes Film Festival's Palme d'Or for his "Shoplifters."



Kore-eda has been at the festival several times before, most recently with films such as "Like Father, Like Son," "After the Storm" and "Our Little Sister," but his brand of heartfelt, exquisitely modulated humanism is not the kind of flashy filmmaking that usually wins the big prize.



This year, Kore-eda's story of a family of small-time grifters whose decision to shelter an abused child causes unforeseen complications clearly touched the jury. Jury member Kristen Stewart even put her arm protectively on his shoulder during the group photo with the winners.



"The Palme d'Or, it has to be something where all the elements come together, where the acting is extraordinary, the direction is extraordinary, where the mise-en-scene is profound and deep, the cinematography — where all those elements are seamlessly interwoven," said jury president Cate Blanchett in the post-awards news conference.




Charles