MAIN Arts & Culture Movies 2008 Cannes Film Festival

It's the annual three-ring extravaganza of publicity stunts, and otherwise serious promotion of film known as Cannes.

American actor and director Sean Penn has been chosen to lead the jury at the 61st annual festival which kicks off on May 14, with the jury awarding the Palme d'Or prize for best film on May 25, 2008.

Among the notable films expected to premier out of competition in Cannes this year is the highly anticipated fourth movie in the Indiana Jones franchise, "Indiana Jones & the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull", starring Harrison Ford and Shia LaBeouf.

Cannes History

Since the first festival was organized in 1946, the major Cannes Film Festival award has been the Palme d’Or or Golden Palm (known as the Grand Prix until 1955) for best film. Other awards include best direction, best screenplay, best actor, best actress, the Grand Jury Prize, the Special Jury Prize, the Critics Award, and the Palme d’Or for Best Short Film.

American entries that went on to receive top honors at Cannes have included Steven Soderbergh's Sex, Lies and Videotape (1989), the Coen brothers' Barton Fink, (1991) and Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction (1994). The 2005 festival created a worldwide stir when incendiary director Michael Moore won the Palme d'Or for his documentary film Fahrenheit 9/11.

On the Web

Around the Web, check out this year's movie fest (plus this year's top 2008 Cannes film winners), along with pictures, video clips, and industry gossip about the planet's most covered and controversial homage to film ...

Cannes Film Festival - The English language version of the official site featuring news, press releases, entry information, video reports, interviews and year-by-year retrospectives, related links. Tricky navigation and usually slow to load but worth the wait.

Cannes - A Festival Virgin's Guide - The inside track on what to do and see for the beginner including info on celeb-spotting, photo gallery, the latest news, FAQ.

The Film Scout's Guide to Cannes - Basic survival guide to those traveling to the festival with advice on wardrobe and what to pack, finding a room and suggested hotels, the party scene& favorite hangouts, related safety tips.

The Cannes Festival Blog - Regular postings with opinion, predictions, rumor & gossip, with links to breaking news, archived coverage.

Palme d'Or - Wikipedia - The online encyclopedia with the full rundown of Cannes' top prize winners from its earliest days to the present - listed by year, film, director and country.

ROTTEN TOMATOES: Cannes Film Festival - Lists of winners by year or main category including the piece de resistance - links to what the major movie critics really thought.

2008 Cannes Film Festival Winners

Palme d'Or (Golden Palm): "The Class," Laurent Cantet (France)

Grand Prize: "Gomorrah," Matteo Garrone (Italy)

Jury Prize: "Il Divo," Paolo Sorrentino (Italy)

Special 61st Anniversary Prizes: Catherine Deneuve (France) and Clint Eastwood (United States)

Best Director: "Three Monkeys," Nuri Bilge Ceylan (Turkey)

Best Actor: Benicio Del Toro, "Che" (United States)

Best Actress: Sandra Corveloni, "Linha de Passe" (Brazil)

Best Screenplay: "Lorna's Silence," Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne (Belgium)

Golden Camera (first-time director): "Hunger," Steve McQueen (Britain)

Best short film: "Megatron," Marian Crisan (Romania)

also see -> Golden Globes | BAFTA Awards

FilmFare Awards | Critics Choice Awards | Movie Trailers

Tribeca Film Festival | Venice Film Festival