Australia’s David Gulpilil has picked up a prestigious best actor award at the Cannes Film Festival.
Gulpilil starred in director Rolf De Heer‘s Charlie’s Country, about an older indigenous Australian man struggling to live life in a traditional way. The prize was awarded as part of the Un Certain Regard section, which runs parallel to the main part of the competition and promotes innovative film making.
The actor has had a long and storied career in Australian cinema, getting his start in the 1971 feature Walkabout, before going on to star in such films as Rabbit Proof Fence, The Tracker, The Proposition and Ten Canoes. Following a 2011 jail term for assault, Gulpilil spoke of plans to resume his acting career, and this award is the end-result.
Other awards handed out include a Best Director nod for Bennett Miller of the Steve Carell drama Foxcatcher. Julianne Moore picked up a Best Actress award for Maps To The Stars while the UK’s Timothy Spall won best actor for Mr. Turner. The Jury Prize was shared between Jean-Luc Godard‘s Goodbye To Language, and Mommy, by youthful Canadian prodigy Xavier Dolan.
The Palme d’Or was awarded to Turkey’s Nuri Bilge Ceylan for Winter Sleep, while Italian director Alice Rohrwacher won the Grand Prix for Le Meraviglie (The Wonders).
