The White Ribbon wins in Cannes 2009

Top prize at the Cannes, the Palme d’Or, went to Austria’s Michael Haneke for The White Ribbon, an austere study of evil in pre-World War I Germany, while the runner-up was French director Jacques Audiard’s gripping prison drama A Prophet — both films that drew widespread praise.

Top prize at the Cannes, the Palme d’Or, went to Austria’s Michael Haneke for The White Ribbon, an austere study of evil in pre-World War I Germany, while the runner-up was French director Jacques Audiard’s gripping prison drama A Prophet — both films that drew widespread praise.

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Filipino director Brillante Mendoza took the directing honour for the police corruption drama Kinatay, which horrified many viewers with its explicit scenes of murder and dismemberment. The jury was unapologetic for rewarding divisive films.

Christoph Waltz won the best-actor prize for his role as a multilingual Nazi officer in Inglourious Basterds.