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The Cannes award winners are announced | cannes_l
AWARD GATHERING Björk celebrates her Cannes win
Michel Enler/AP
Danish director Lars von Trier won the Cannes Film Festival's highest award, the Golden Palm, yesterday for his harrowing drama ''Dancer in the Dark,'' starring Icelandic pop star Björk and Catherine Deneuve. Björk won the Best Actress award for her role as a Czech-born American factory worker who daydreams of starring in a Hollywood musical. Despite several Festival reports of Björk and von Trier's off-screen differences (von Trier even admitted that working with Björk was ''extremely painful'' at an early press conference), the director thanked his temperamental star yesterday: ''Though I know she doesn't believe me, if you meet her, tell her I love her very much.''

On the American front, indie director Neil LaBute's entry ''Nurse Betty,'' starring Renée Zellweger, was the only U.S. film to place at this year's Festival. Written by newcomer John C. Richards, the comedy about a widow's obsession with a soap opera star won the Best Screenplay award. Former Golden Palm winners Joel and Ethan Coen (''Barton Fink'') received mixed reviews for their star-packed prison comedy ''O Brother, Where Art Thou?'' Starring George Clooney, John Goodman, and John Turturro, the Depression-set ''Brother'' failed to nab any prizes this year.

Cannes Winners

Golden Palm Lars von Trier's ''Dancer in the Dark'' (Denmark)
Grand Prize Jiang Wen's ''Devils on the Doorstep'' (China)
Jury Prize Samira Makhmalbaf's ''Blackboards'' (Iran) and Roy Andersson's ''Songs From the Second Floor'' (Sweden)
Best Actor Tony Leung, ''In the Mood for Love'' (Hong Kong)
Best Actress Björk, ''Dancer in the Dark'' (Denmark)
Best Screenplay Neil LaBute's ''Nurse Betty'' (U.S.A.)
Best Director Edward Yang, ''A One and a Two'' (Taiwan)


Posted May 22, 2000 | Order Article Reprints