There are years when everyone knows which film will win. 2015 was not one of them, although there was some consensus among the major press that CAROL and MIA MADRE were the strongest films, cinematographically and stylistically and the Hou Hsiao-Hsien-directed THE ASSASSIN, the rare film this year by a filmmaker who’s completely in control of his art, would not go home empty-handed. We expected the Coen Brothers-led jury would award them but not necessarily in these categories. Truth be told, all the films were good, except for this year’s duds like the shmutzy and sentimental SEA OF TREES by Gus Van Sant. So yes, better confess now before history gives them reason: in spite of the catastrophic year all the rumbling may have been signaling this was a strong 2015 edition that featured brave and accomplished films. Here are the winners, as announced on the official website (I’ve included something from their official announcement, too, afterward):

Palme d’or
DHEEPAN by Jacques AUDIARD

Grand Prix
SAUL FIA (Son of Saul) by László NEMES

Best Director Award
HOU Hsiao-Hsien for NIE YINNIANG (The Assassin)

Jury Prize
THE LOBSTER by Yorgos LANTHIMOS

Best Actress Award
Rooney MARA in CAROL by Todd HAYNES
Emmanuelle BERCOT in MON ROI by MAÏWENN

Best Actor Award
Vincent LINDON in LA LOI DU MARCHÉ (The Measure of a Man) by Stéphane BRIZÉ

Best Screenplay Award
Michel FRANCO for CHRONIC

SHORT FILMS – COMPETITION

Palme d’or
WAVES ’98 by Ely DAGHER

CAMÉRA D’OR

LA TIERRA Y LA SOMBRA by César Augusto ACEVEDO presented during La Semaine de la Critique

The Jury of the 68th Festival de Cannes, presided by Joel and Ethan Coen, has revealed the names of the 2015 prize-winners during the Awards Ceremony. After paying tribute to Jean Zay, a resistance hero and founder of the Festival, Lambert Wilson welcomed the prize-givers and winners onto the stage of the Grand Théâtre Lumière, to the sound of music playing. The Belgian actress, Cécile de France, had the honor of awarding the Palme d’or to the best of the nineteen films in competition.

The director and French artist, Agnès Varda, received an honorary Palme d’or for her collected works from Jane Birkin.

The closing film La Glace et le Ciel (Ice and the Sky) by Luc Jacquet was screened at the end of the Ceremony.