Hollywood star Tommy Lee Jones won the best actor prize at the Cannes film festival on Saturday for his performance in a modern-day Western he directed, "The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada".
Spanish actress Penelope Cruz presented the prize to Jones at a gala ceremony. The picture, a tough-as-nails tale about death and redemption in the border area between Texas and Mexico, marked Jones's film directing debut.
The awards selected by a nine-member jury headed by Sarajevo-born filmmaker Emir Kusturica:
Palme d'Or (Golden Palm): "The Child," Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne (Belgium).
Grand Prize: "Broken Flowers," Jim Jarmusch (United States).
Jury Prize: "Shanghai Dreams," Wang Xiaoshuai (China).
Best Director: "Hidden," Michael Haneke (Austria).
Best Actor: Tommy Lee Jones, "The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada" (United States).
Best Actress: Hanna Laslo, "Free Zone," Israel.
Best Screenplay: "The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada," Guillermo Arriaga (Mexican screenwriter, US film).
Golden Camera (first-time director): "Me and You and Everyone We Know," Miranda July, (United States), and "The Forsaken Land," Vimukthi Jayasundara (Sri Lanka).