The Brazilian film Bacurau directed by Kleber Mendonça Filho and Juliano Dornelles was presented this evening with the Jury Prize at the 72nd edition of the Cannes Film Festival. This award marks the highest accolade by a Brazilian film at the French film festival Anselmo Duarte took home the Palme d’Or for best film in 1962 for Keeper of Promises / O Pagador de Promessas.
Starring Sônia Braga and German actor Udo Kier and described as a sinister genre piece, Bacurau tells the story of a filmmaker who decides to travel to a village in the interior of Brazil to make a documentary. As days go by, he begins to discover that the locals are not exactly what they appear to be and hide dangerous secrets.
In his acceptance speech Mendonça Filho talked about his experience of having attended Cannes before as a critic, and added “You can imagine the kind of mindfuck it is for me to be standing here.”
The 72nd edition of the Cannes Film Festival took place May 14 - 25 in France.
