2008 Cannes – Other Awards

The following are the press releases for other awards given outside the main competition.

The Ecumenical Jury Prize was awarded to Adoration by Atom Egoyan, presented in Competition. The six-member jury (made up of journalists, ministers, theologians, researchers, etc.), all members of the Christian faith, come from a variety of world cultures. The Ecumenical Jury Prize was created in 1974, in order to distinguish those works that "display human qualities and touch upon the spiritual existence.”

The 27th Prix de la Jeunesse (Youth Prize) went to Tulpan, by Kazakh director Sergey Dvortsevoy, presented in Un Certain Regard. This prize, created in 1982 by the French Ministry of Youth, Sports, and Community Organizations, is intended for emerging filmmakers. The young jurors' mission is to "look at cinema with new eyes and go out and discover as yet unknown authors and works.". The same young jury awarded two Regards Jeunes Prizes, to Eldorado by Bouli Lanners (Belgium/France), presented at Directors Fortnight, and to Everybody Dies Except Me by Valeria Gaï Guermanika (Russia), which screened at Critics Week.

The FIPRESCI (International Film Critics Federation) gave the International Critics Prize to Delta by the Hungarian director Kornél Mundruczó, presented in Competition. Hunger, screening in Un Certain Regard and directed by Steve McQueen (UK), was also singled out for an award. Lastly, among the films in the parallel sections Directors Fortnight and Critics Week, the FIPRESCI gave its award to Eldorado by Bouli Lanners.

The 2008 Radio France-Culture Prize, which is awarded yearly to a filmmaker in recognition of his oeuvre or the strength of his commitment, went to actress-director Sandrine Bonnaire. This year, the Radio France-Culture jury was presided by actress Ariane Ascaride, and included, in particular, Gilles Jacob, president of the Festival de Cannes, Laure Adler, and Frédéric Mitterrand. Presenting the award, Ariane Ascaride noted that Sandrine Bonnaire "has made an indelible mark on French cinema." She expressed "total respect for her as an actress, a director, and a woman." "Everyone dreams of being your sister," added Ariane Ascaride, at a reception in a luxurious Cannes hotel hosted by Radio France president Jean-Paul Cluzel. In 2006, Sandrine Bonnaire directed Elle s'appelle Sabine ("Her Name is Sabine"), an intimate and committed documentary about autism and her sister. Presented in 2007 in Directors' Fortnight, a parallel section to the Festival, the film won the FIPRESCI International Critics Prize.