Coming into this year’s Cannes Film Festival, we were excited to see Ali Abbasi’s latest film, “Border.” Described simply as a modern take on Nordic folklore, as told through the lens of border security, the film follows a border agent with an uncanny sense of smell, who meets a mysterious stranger at her job. Well, apparently, we were right to anticipate the film, as it was just announced as the big winner of the Un Certain Regard section at Cannes.
The Un Certain Regard section features films that focus on nontraditional ways to tell stories, with many films having a very unique vision. “Border” definitely fits the bill. The film is directed by Ali Abbasi and written by Abbasi, Isabella Eklöf, and John Ajvide Lindqvist, who is best known for his novel “Let the Right One In.”
Un Certain Regard featured other standouts this year, including “Girl,” “Donbass,” “Sofia,” and “The Dead and the Others,” all of which were honored at the festival. This year’s Un Certain Regard jury was led by president Benicio Del Toro.
Here’s the full list of winners from this year’s Un Certain Regard section of Cannes:
Un Certain Regard Award: Ali Abbasi, “Border”
Best Director: Sergei Loznitsa, “Donbass”
Best Performance: Victor Polster, “Girl”
Best Screenplay: Meryem Benm’Barek, “Sofia”
Special Jury Prize: João Salaviza and Renée Nader Messora, “The Dead and the Others”