'Tulpan' wins Certain Regard Prix

Dvortsevoi film among others honored in Cannes

By JOHN HOPEWELL, ELSA BERTET

Crowning an enthusiastic reception when it first screened at Cannes, Sergei Dvortsevoi’s “Tulpan,” a Kazakhstan-set tale of a lovelorn shepherd, won the top Un Certain Regard Prix.

In further kudos, announced Saturday evening at Cannes, Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s family-on-the-slide drama “Tokyo Sonata” took the jury prize, while German Andreas Dresen’s “Cloud 9,” about a 60-year-old wife’s sudden love at first sight, nabbed a Coup de Coeur (literally, Heartthrob) award.

“Tyson,” James Toback’s sympathetic profile of the legendary but troubled pugilist, took an aptly entitled Un Certain Regard K.O. Prize.

“It was a huge journey. When we started, it was only Mike and I, and it was almost like making a homevideo,” Toback commented, accepting his award.

Jean-Stephane Sauvaire’s “Johnny Mad Dog,” about African child soldiers, won the Prix de L’Espoir — a prize for hope.

Jury had been briefed to give three prizes. But “given the high quality and richness of the selection, the Un Certain Regard jury asked permission from the Cannes Festival to grant two supplementary awards,” said Un Certain Regard’s jury president, German helmer Fatih Akin (“The Edge of Heaven”).

The Uncertain Regard prize is sponsored by the Groupama-Gan Cinema Foundation.

And the winners are:

UN CERTAIN REGARD PRIZE
"Tulpan" (Sergei Dvortsevoi, Kazakhstan, Russia, Switzerland-Poland-Germany)

JURY PRIZE
"Tokyo Sonata," (Kurosawa Kiyoshi, Japan-Netherlands)

JURY COUP DE COEUR
"Cloud 9," (Andreas Dresen, Germany)

UN CERTAIN REGARD K.O
"Tyson," (James Toback, U.S.)

PRIX DE L'ESPOIR
"Johnny Mad Dog," (Jean-Stephane Sauvaire, France-Liberia- Belgium)