At different times, the main award of the Cannes Film Festival was called either the Grand Prix or the Palme d’Or. One thing is constant – this prize is almost always awarded for the most important films in the career of a particular filmmaker.
Only eight directors have managed to receive such a prestigious award twice:
- Ruben Östlund for “Square” (2017) and “Triangle of Sadness” (2022)
- Michael Haneke for “The White Ribbon” (2009) and “Love” (2012)
- Emir Kusturica for “Dad on a Business Trip” (1985) and “Underground” (1995)
- Francis Ford Coppola for The Conversation (1974) and Apocalypse Now (1979)
- Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne for “Rosetta” (1999) and “The Child” (2005)
- Bille August for Pelle the Conqueror (1988) and Good Intentions (1992)
- Alf Sjöberg for “Hounding” (1946) and “Mistress Julia” (1951)
- Shohei Imamura for The Legend of Narayama (1983) and The Eel (1997)
In addition, Luchino Visconti received the Palme d’Or in 1963 for the film The Leopard. And in 1971 – a special “Palm” created in honor of the 25th anniversary of the festival for “Death in Venice”. This picture participated in the competition, but the main award of the forum then went to “The Mediator” by Joseph Losey.
Michelangelo Antonioni can also be considered a double laureate. He won this prize in 1967 for his masterpiece, Blow-Up. However, in 1996, robbers broke into his house and stole his Oscar, Golden Lion and Palma film awards. The following year, the organizers of the Cannes Film Forum decided to compensate for such a costly loss and presented him with a copy of the stolen branch.
The only winner of the Palme d’Or in both feature and short film competitions is Australian director Jane Campion. In 1982, she triumphed with her short film “A Lesson of Discipline – Peel.” And in 1992, she conquered the main jury of the film festival with the film “The Piano”.