Thai Film Takes the Top Prize in Cannes

At last, some good news for this beleaguered country: Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives, by the Thai director Apichatpong Weerasethakul, took the Palme D'Or in Cannes tonight. Hailed as one of the most striking and unusual films in competition - and also the entry most in tune with the maverick spirit of the Jury President, Tim Burton - Uncle Boonmee is the story of a dying man who revisits scenes from his previous lives, as, inter alia, a buffalo and a princess and sets the seal on what was widely perceived to be a lacklustre year.

Weerasethakul may not be a household name to British film-goers but his previous film, the equally mysterious and mystical Tropical Malady, was released to acclaim in the UK and an art installation by the director is currently on display at the BFI Southbank. Weerasethakul will be interviewed on Skype at the BFI on Tuesday.

The other Cannes awards include Best Actress for Juliette Binoche in Abbas Kiarostami's Certified Copy and Best Actor for Javier Bardem in Alejandro González Iñárritu's Biutiful, jointly with Elio Germano in La Nostra Vita. Mike Leigh's Another Year, hailed by British critics as the favourite for the Palme, went away empty-handed.