Cannes 2016: Ken Loach’s I, Daniel Blake wins Palme d’Or

Ken Loach wins the Palme D'or, Cannes 2016

by James White |
Published on

It was a surprising – and at times contentious – awards ceremony at the Cannes Film Festival this year, but the main prize went to Ken Loach for I, Daniel Blake.

The film, which stars Dave Johns and Hayley Squires in the story of an elderly carpenter who bonds with a single mother as they struggle against an unfeeling bureaucracy, was a surprising winner given the rave reviews handed down to other films, including Toni Erdmann and Paterson. It marks Loach's second Palme d'Or since 2006's The Wind That Shakes The Barley.

Yet there was more outrage at Xavier Dolan's It's Only The End Of The World taking the grand prize. Elsewhere, Andrea Arnold won her third Jury Prize, this time for American Honey.

This jury, led by George Miller, included Donald Sutherland, Mads Mikkelsen, Kirsten Dunst and directors Laszlo Nemes and Arnaud Desplechin picked an eclectic group of winning films, drawing criticism for more than one choice. See the full list of winners below.

Palme d’Or

Ken Loach, I, Daniel Blake

Grand Prix

Xavier Dolan, It's Only The End Of The World

Best Director

Christian Mungui, Graduation (Bacalaureat)

Olivier Assayas, Personal Shopper

Best Screenplay

Asghar Farhadi, The Salesman

Jury Prize

Andrea Arnold, American Honey

Best Actress

Jaclyn Jose, Ma’ Rosa

Best Actor

Shahab Hosseini, The Salesman

Caméra d’Or

Houda Benyamina, Divines

Short Film Palme d’Or

Juanjo Gimenez, Timecode

Palme d’Honneur

Jean-Pierre Leaud

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