2003 Cannes Film Festival


The 56th Cannes Film Festival took place from 14 to 25 May 2003. French opera and theatre director, filmmaker, actor and producer Patrice Chéreau was the President of the Jury for the main competition. Monica Bellucci hosted the opening and closing ceremonies.
American filmmaker Gus Van Sant won the Palme d'Or, the festival's top prize, for the drama film Elephant, based on the Columbine High School massacre. Ingmar Bergman was awarded with the Honorary Palme d'Or for his contributions to cinema throughout his career.
The festival opened with Fanfan la Tulipe by Gérard Krawczyk, and closed with Charlie: The Life and Art of Charles Chaplin by Richard Schickel.

Juries

The following people were appointed as the Jury for the various sections below:

Main competition

''Un Certain Regard''

''Cinéfondation'' and Short Films Competition

''Camera d'Or''

  • Wim Wenders, German filmmaker - Jury President
  • Laurent Aknin, French critic
  • Alain Champetier, French Representative of the technical industries
  • Géraldine d'Haen, French secretary of the jury
  • Gian Luca Farinelli, Italian cinephile
  • Agnès Godard, French cinematographer
  • Claude Makovski, French cinephile
  • Bernard Uhlmann, Swizz cinephile
  • Christian Vincent, French director

Official selection

In Competition

The following feature films competed for the Palme d'Or:

''Un Certain Regard''

The following films were selected for the competition of Un Certain Regard:

Out of Competition

The following films were selected to be screened out of competition:

''Cinéfondation''

The following short films were selected for the competition of Cinéfondation:19 At 11 by Michael SchwartzAm See by Ulrike von RibbeckBezi zeko bezi by Pavle VučkovićDremano oko by Vladimir PerisicFish Never Sleep by Gaëlle DenisFive Deep Breaths by Seith MannFree Loaders by Haim TabakmanHistoria del desierto by Celia Galan JulveHitokoroshi no ana by Ikeda ChihiroLe pacte by Heidi Maria FaisstLike Twenty Impossibles by Annemarie JacirMechanika by David SukupRebeca a esas alturas by Luciana Jauffred GorostizaStuck by Jeremy RobertsThe Box Man by Nirvan MullickThe Water Fight by Norah McGettiganTV City by Alejandra Tomei, Alberto CouceiroEmpty for Love by Vimukthi JayasundaraWonderful Day by Hyun-Pil KimZero by Carolina Rivas

Short film competition

The following short films competed for the Short Film Palme d'Or:Cracker Bag by Glendyn IvinL'enfant promis by Marsa MakrisFast Film by Virgil WidrichLa fenêtre ouverte by Philippe BarcinskiL'homme le plus beau du monde by Alicia DuffyL'homme sans tête by Juan SolanasJe germe by Esther RotsMon frère aveugle by Sophie GoodhartNeige au mois de Novembre by Karolina Jonsson

Parallel sections

International Critics' Week

The following films were screened for the 42nd International Critics' Week :
Feature film competition20H17, Rue Darling by Bernard Edmond Deux Fereshté by Mamad Haghighat Elle est des nôtres by Siegrid Alnoy Entre ciclones by Enrique Colina Milwaukee, Minnesota by Allan Mindel Reconstruction by Christoffer Boe Since Otar Left by Julie Bertuccelli
Short film competitionBelarra by Koldo Almandoz Derrière les fagots by Ron Dyens Love Is the Law by Eivind Tolas Maste by Erik Rosenlund La Petite Fille by Licia Eminenti The Truth About the Head by Dale Heslip Turangawaewae by Peter Burger
Special screeningsOff the map by Campbell Scott Camarades by Marin Karmitz Condor : les axes du mal by Rodrigo Vasque Araki – The Killing of a Japanese Photographer by Anders Morgenthaller Good Night by Chun Sun-Young Nosferatu Tango by Zoltán Horváth B.B. & Il Cormorano by Edoardo Gabbriellini

Directors' Fortnight

Apart from 16 short films, the following feature films were screened for the 2003 Directors' Fortnight : Bright Leaves by Ross McElwee Carême by José Álvaro Morais La chose publique by Mathieu Amalric Cry No More by Narjiss Nejjar Deep Breath by Parviz Shahbazi Feathers in My Head by Thomas De Thier Gozu by Takashi Miike The Hours of the Day by Jaime Rosales Interstella 5555 by Kazuhisa Takenouchi L'Isola by Costanza Quatriglio James' Journey to Jerusalem by Ra'anan Alexandrowicz Kitchen Stories by Bent Hamer Kleine Freiheit by Yüksel Yavuz Les Lionceaux by Claire Doyon Love Film by Júlio Bressane Mike Brant – Laisse moi t'aimer by Erez Laufer Le Monde vivant by Eugène Green The Mother by Roger Michell Naked Childhood by Maurice Pialat Niki and Flo by Lucian Pintilie No pasarán, album souvenir by Henri-François Imbert No Rest for the Brave by Alain Guiraudie Osama by Siddiq Barmak Saltimbank by Jean-Claude Biette Seducing Doctor Lewis by Jean-François Pouliot The Forest by Bassek ba Kobhio, Didier Ouénangaré Sansa by Siegfried Les Terres de l'ogre by Sami Kafati Watermark by Georgina Willis The Woman Who Believed She Was President of the United States by João Botelho Im Anfang war der Blick by Bady Minck

Official Awards

In Competition

The following films and people received the 2003 Official selection awards:

Un Certain Regard

''Cinéfondation''

First Prize: Run Rabbit Run by Pavle VučkovićSecond Prize: Historia del desierto by Celia Galan JulveThird Prize:
  • * TV City by Alejandra Tomei and Alberto Couceiro
  • * Rebeca a esas alturas by Luciana Jauffred Gorostiza

''[Caméra d'Or]''

Reconstruction by Christoffer Boe

Short Films Competition

Independent Awards

FIPRESCI Prizes">FIPRESCI">FIPRESCI Prizes

The Hours of the Day by Jaime Rosales Father and Son by Alexander Sokurov American Splendor by Shari Springer Berman, Robert Pulcini

Vulcan Award of the Technical Artist">Vulcan Award">Vulcan Award of the Technical Artist

[Prize of the Ecumenical Jury]

At Five in the Afternoon by Samira Makhmalbaf

Award of the Youth

A Thousand Months by Faouzi Bensaïdi

Critics' Week

International Critics' Week Grand Prix: Since Otar Left by Julie BertuccelliPrix de la Jeune Critique: Milwaukee, Minnesota by Allan MindelCanal+ Award: Love Is the Law by Eivind TolasKodak Short Film Award: The Truth About the Head by Dale HeslipYoung Critics Award – Best Short: The Truth About the Head by Dale HeslipYoung Critics Award – Best Feature: Milwaukee, Minnesota by Allan MindelGrand Golden Rail: Since Otar Left by Julie BertuccelliSmall Golden Rail: Love Is the Law by Eivind Tolas

Honorary Golden Palm

Cinema Prize of the French National Education System

Elephant by Gus Van Sant

Golden Coach

Mystic River by Clint Eastwood

AFCAE Award

Osama by Siddiq Barmak

François Chalais Award">François Chalais Prize">François Chalais Award

S-21: The Khmer Rouge Killing Machine by Rithy Panh

Media

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