Chinese director Hu Guan’s drama Black Dog snagged the top prize in Cannes’ Un Certain Regard sidebar on Friday night.
The drama, set on the edge of the Gobi desert in Northwest China, follows a man who returns home after a stint in jail and gets a job clearing a town of stray dogs before the Olympic Games. But he forms an unexpected bond with a black dog, and together, they embark on a new journey.
The film’s canine star won a pooch prize earlier in the day, scooping up the Grand Jury award at the Palm Dog.
For Un Certain Regard, the Jury Prize went to The Story Of Souleymane, Boris Lojkine’s Paris-set story of an African immigrant struggling to make a living and get legalized in the city of lights. Lead Abou Sangare also clinched one of the Un Certain Regard performance awards. The other went to Anasuya Sengupta for her role in Konstantin Bojanov’s The Shameless.
Best director honors were shared by Roberto Minervini and Rungano Nyoni for their features The Damned and On Becoming a Guinea Fowl, respectively.
French director Louise Courvoisier clinched the Youth Prize for Holy Cow, with Saudi filmmaker Tawfik Alzaidi receiving a Special Mention for Nora.
This year’s jury was led by Canadian multi-talent Xavier Dolan, together with French-Senegalese director Maïmouna Doucouré, Moroccan filmmaker Asmae El Moudir, Luxembourg actress Vicky Krieps and U.S. film critic Todd McCarthy.
