“Dogtooth” Wins Top Cannes Un Certain Regard Prize

A scene from "Dogtooth."

Yorgos Lanthimos’ “Dogtooth,” from Greece, won the top prize in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival, while Corneliu Porumboiu’s “Police, Adjective” won the second prize in the section.

In the words of the official festival description of “Dogtooth”:

“The father, the mother and their three kids live in a house at the outskirts of a city. There is a tall fence surrounding the house. The kids have never left the house. They are being educated, entertained, bored and exercised in the manner that their parents deem appropriate, without any influence from the outside world. They believe that the airplanes flying over are toys and that zombies are small yellow flowers. The only person allowed to enter the house is Christina. She works as a security guard at the father’s business. The father arranges her visits to the house in order to appease the sexual urges of the son. The whole family is fond of her, especially the eldest daughter. One day Christina gives her as a present a headband that has stones that glow in the dark and asks for something in return.”

The jury for the section included Italian filmmaker Paolo Sorrentino, actress Julie Gayet, Toronto International FIlm Festival Director Piers Handling, and journalists Uma Da Cunha and Marit Kapla.

PRIZE OF UN CERTAIN REGARD
 “Dogtooth” (Kynodntas), directed by Yorgos Lanthimos
 
JURY  PRIZE
“Police, Adjective” (Politist, Adjectiv), directed by Corneliu Porumboiu
 
SPECIAL PRIZE UN CERTAIN REGARD 2009
“No One Knows About Persian Cats” (Kasi Az Gorbehaye Irani Khabar Nadareh), directed by Bahman Ghobadi

“Father of my children” (Le Pere de mes Enfants), directed by Mia Hansen-Love

International Critics’ Week awards and Director’s Fortnight prizes in Cannes were presented yesterday and the prizes for the official selection of the Cannes Film Festival will be presented tomorrow. indieWIRE will have complete coverage after 1 p.m. ET. on Sunday, May 24th.

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