Burn Washington Burn

"Controversial" may still be the adjective of choice for Michael Moore's latest film, but it looks like "acclaimed" may soon join it. Fahrenheit 9/11 has walked off with the Palme d'Or, Cannes highest honour, after winning widespread praise at the Festival. Michael Moore received the prize from Charlize Theron at a ceremony on Saturday night that marked the official end of proceedings, and joked that he hoped President Bush wouldn't choke on a pretzel upon hearing the news. Fahrenheit 9/11 is the first documentary to win the Palme d'Or since 1956, when undersea documentary The Silent World by Louis Malle and Jacques-Yves Cousteau took home the top prize. It may seem like a political statement - the cheese-eating surrender monkeys slapping the jingoistic, self-regarding conquer monkeys on the wrist - but the Cannes jury are sure that Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 9/11 earned the award on merit. "I knew all this politics crap would be brought up," said Quentin Tarantino, President of the jury. "We all agreed that Fahrenheit 9/11 was the best movie of the competition." "We felt this was more than a documentary," added fellow jury member Kathleen Turner. Korean filmmaker Park Chan-wook received the second prize (Grand Prix) for Old Boy, widely rumoured to be Tarantino's personal favourite at the competition, with the other prizes going to a surprising mix of films. Best Actress winner Maggie Cheung won for her portrayal of a drug addict, while the Best Actor prize went to the 14-year-old star of Nobody Knows, the Japanese film about three children abandoned by their mother in their Tokyo home. American actress Irma P Hall won a jury prize for The Ladykillers, who was unable to pick up her award as she is apparently ill in hospital. Full list of Winners: Palme d'Or Fahrenheit 9/11 by Michael Moore **Grand prix ** Old Boy by Park Chan-wook Best actress Maggie Cheung for Clean Best actor Yagira Yuuya for Nobody Knows Best director Tony Gatlif for Exils Best screenplay Agnes Jaoui and Jean-Pierre Bacri for Comme une Image Jury prize Tied between: Apichatpong Weerasethakul (director) for Tropical Malady Irma P Hall (actress) for The Ladykillers