
On Sunday, the Cannes Film Festival Jury, headed by Robert De Niro, will be announcing this year?s Palme d?Or. And while that?s certainly exciting, it?s easy to overlook its twin award, the Palme d?Or for short film. The honor has existed for almost as long as the festival itself and over the years has jump-started quite a few careers, from Norman McLaren and Albert Lamorisse to Jane Campion and Nuri Bilge Ceylan. One can even trace the origins of the Romanian New Wave to 2004 and the victory of C?t?lin Mitulescu?s ?Trafic,? a year before his compatriots? features started raising eyes on the Croisette. So in honor of the award (and because none of this year?s contenders are yet available on the web), here?s a look back at some of the finest work ever to take home a Palme d?Or du court m�trage.
?An Exercise in Discipline ? Peel? (1986)
Jane Campion, of course, has another Palme d?Or for 1993?s ?The Piano.? Yet fans of that beautifully stylized work might not immediately recognize the Kiwi director?s hand in this short film. It?s much more representative of Campion?s blunter and grittier early period, an honest and matter-of-fact look into the life of a family at odds with itself. A man and his sister, along with his young son sit stagnant in a hot car, in the midst of a frustrating afternoon of driving and bickering. Yet Campion?s wonderful sense of both character and timing, coupled with Sally Bongers? clever cinematography, lends a magic to this humdrum story that heralds the arrival of a great filmmaker. Watch it after the jump:
?When the Day Breaks? (1999)
This whimsical yet almost unexpectedly potent animated short is one of many National Film Board of Canada films that have been well received at Cannes over the years. With the textured look of a newsreel, animators Wendy Tilby and Amanda Forbis follow the story of an anthropomorphic pig who has just witnessed the death of a stranger firsthand. It begins quite charmingly, letting us ease into an urban cartoon of farm animals going about their morning errands. But these pleasantly relaxing moments, set to the warm singing of Martha Wainwright, break open with the sudden death of a chicken on a street corner. The abstractions to follow bring about a confrontation with our own fragility and mortality, yet somehow leave us in peace.
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