The 55th Cannes Film Festival took place from 15 to 26 May 2002. American filmmaker David Lynch served as jury president for the main competition. Virginie Ledoyen hosted the opening and closing ceremonies.
French-Polish filmmaker Roman Polanski won the Palme d'Or, the festival's top prize, for the drama film The Pianist. American filmmaker Woody Allen was awarded with the inaugural Honorary Palme d'Or, given to a director who had achieved a notable body of work but who had never won the regular Palme d'Or.
The festival opened with Hollywood Ending by Woody Allen, and closed with Claude Lelouch's And Now... Ladies and Gentlemen.
Juries Main Competition David Lynch, American filmmaker - Jury President Bille August, Danish filmmaker Christine Hakim, Indonesian actress Claude Miller, French filmmaker Raúl Ruiz, Chilean filmmaker Walter Salles, Brazilian filmmaker Sharon Stone, American actress Régis Wargnier, French filmmaker Michelle Yeoh, Malaysian actress
Un Certain Regard Anne Fontaine, Luxembourger filmmaker - Jury President Fabienne Bradfer, film critic Jean-Sébastien Chauvin, film critic Louis Guichard, film critic Fabrice Pliskin, film critic David Tran, film critic Pierre Vavasseur, critic
Cinéfondation and Short Film Competition Martin Scorsese, American filmmaker - Jury President Judith Godrèche, French actress Abbas Kiarostami, Iranian filmmaker Jan Schütte, German filmmaker Tilda Swinton, British actress
Camera d'Or Geraldine Chaplin, International actress - Jury President Bahman Ghobadi, Iranian filmmaker Romain Goupil, French filmmaker Marthe Keller, Swiss actress Murali Nair, Indian director
Official Selection In Competition The following feature films competed for the Palme d'Or: English titleOriginal titleDirector(s)Production country24 Hour Party PeopleMichael WinterbottomUnited KingdomAbout Schmidt Alexander PayneUnited StatesThe AdversaryL'AdversaireNicole GarciaFranceAll or NothingMike LeighUnited KingdomBowling for ColumbineMichael MooreUnited States, Canada, Germany Chi-hwa-seon 취화선Im Kwon-taekSouth KoreaDemonloverOlivier AssayasFranceDivine Interventionيد إلهيةElia SuleimanPalestine, France, Morocco, GermanyIrréversibleGaspar NoéFranceKedmaAmos GitaiIsraelMarie-Jo and Her Two Lovers Marie-Jo et ses deux amoursRobert GuédiguianFranceThe Man Without a PastMies vailla menneisyyttäAki KaurismäkiFinlandMy Mother's SmileL'ora di religione (Il sorriso di mia madre)Marco BellocchioItalyThe PianistRoman PolanskiFrance, Germany, Poland, United KingdomPunch-Drunk LovePaul Thomas AndersonUnited StatesRussian ArkРусский ковчегAlexander SokurovRussia, Germany, Canada, FinlandThe SonLe FilsJean-Pierre and Luc DardenneBelgium, FranceSpiderDavid CronenbergCanada, United KingdomSweet SixteenKen LoachUnited Kingdom, Germany, SpainTenدهAbbas KiarostamiIranThe Uncertainty Principle O Princípio da IncertezaManoel de OliveiraPortugalUnknown Pleasures任逍遥Jia ZhangkeChina
Un Certain Regard The following films were selected for the competition of Un Certain Regard: English titleOriginal titleDirector(s)Production countryAngel on the RightФариштаи китфи ростJamshed UsmonovTajikistanBalzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress巴尔扎克与小裁缝Dai SijieChina, FranceBlissfully Yoursสุดเสน่หาApichatpong WeerasethakulThailandThe Box of Lifeصندوق الدنياOssama MohammedSyria, FranceEl bonaerensePablo TraperoArgentina, France, Chile, NetherlandsCarnageCarnagesDelphine GleizeFranceThe ConfessionİtirafZeki DemirkubuzTurkeyCry Woman哭泣的女人Liu BingjianChinaDouble Vision雙瞳Chen Kuo-fuTaiwan, Hong KongFate YazgıZeki DemirkubuzTurkeyGlowing EyesLa chatte à deux têtesJacques NolotFranceMadame SatãKarim AïnouzBrazil, FranceMarooned in Iraqگمگشتهای در عراقBahman GhobadiIranA Piece of SkyUne part du cielBénédicte LiénardFrance, BelgiumRachida Yamina BachirAlgeriaRaising Victor VargasPeter SollettUnited StatesSeventeen Times Cecile Cassard 17 fois Cécile CassardChristophe HonoréFranceTen Minutes OlderSpike Lee, Aki Kaurismäki, Chen Kaige,Jim Jarmusch, Werner Herzog,Víctor Erice, Wim WendersChina, Finland, France, Germany,Netherlands, Spain, United Kingdom,United StatesTerra incognitaGhassan SalhabLebanon, FranceTo Stay AliveبمانیDariush MehrjuiIranTomorrow La Scala! Francesca JosephUnited KingdomWaiting for Happinessفي انتظار السعادةAbderrahmane SissakoMauritania, France
Out of Competition The following films were selected to be screened out of competition: English titleOriginal titleDirector(s)Production country16 DecemberMani ShankarIndiaAnd Now... Ladies and Gentlemen (closing film)Claude LelouchFrance, United KingdomArarat Atom EgoyanCanada, FranceCarlo Giuliani, BoyCarlo Giuliani, ragazzoFrancesca ComenciniItalyCity of God Cidade de DeusFernando Meirelles and Kátia LundBrazil, France, Germany, United StatesDevdas Sanjay Leela BhansaliIndiaFemme FataleBrian De PalmaFrance, Germany, United StatesFrom the Other SideDe l'autre côtéChantal AkermanFinland, FranceHistoires de festivalGilles JacobFranceHollywood Ending (opening film)Woody AllenUnited StatesThe Kid Stays in the PictureBrett Morgen and Nanette BursteinThe Last LetterLa dernière lettreFrederick WisemanUnited States, FranceMurder by NumbersBarbet SchroederUnited StatesSearching for Debra WingerRosanna ArquetteSpirit: Stallion of the CimarronKelly Asbury and Lorna CookStar Wars: Episode II – Attack of the ClonesGeorge LucasTo Be and to HaveÊtre et avoirNicolas PhilibertFranceWomen in the Mirror鏡の女たちYoshishige YoshidaJapan
Cinéfondation The following short films were selected for the competition of Cinéfondation:
17 minute intarziere by Catalin Mitulescu (Romania) Chogyeoul Jumshim by Byung-Hwa Kang (South Korea) Honey Moon by Sung-Jin Park (South Korea) K-G I Nod Och Lust by Jens Jonsson (Sweden) Khoj by Tridib Poddar (India) La derniere journee d'Alfred Maassen by David Lammers (Netherlands) La mort en exil by Ayten Mutlu Saray (Switzerland) P.S. by Arni Asgeirsson (Poland) Um Sol Alaranjado by Eduardo Valente (Brazil) Questions d'un ouvrier mort by Aya Somech (Israel) Request by Jinoh Park (South Korea) Seule maman a les yeux bleus by Eric Forestier (France) Shearing by Eicke Bettinga (United Kingdom) Soshuu no neko by Masaaki Uchida (Japan) The Look Of Happiness by Marianela Maldonado (United Kingdom) Vals by Edgar Bartenev (Russia)
Short film competition The following short films competed for the Short Film Palme d'Or:
A Very Very Silent Film by Manish Jha After Rain (Esö után) by Péter Mészáros Daughter by Eduardo Rodríguez Le chaperon noir by Yannis Yapanis Retenir son souffle by Anthony Lucas Speel Met Me by Esther Rots Tai Tai by Nicholas Chin Tango de l'oubli by Alexis Mital Toledo The Stone of Folly by Jesse Rosensweet Vol 404 by Bruce Terris Yoake a Chewing-Gum Story by Roland Zumbühl
Parallel sections International Critics' Week The following films were screened for the 41st International Critics' Week (41e Semaine de la Critique):
Feature film competition
Respiro by Emanuele Crialese (Italy) Filles perdues, cheveux gras by Claude Duty (France) Rana’s Wedding by Hany Abu-Assad (Palestine) Too Young To Die (Jukeodo joha) by Park Jin-pyo (South Korea) Les Fils de Marie by Carole Laure (Canada - France) Kabala by Assane Kouyaté (Mali/France) Chicken Heart by Hiroshi Shimizu (Japan)
Short film competition
Le Jour où je suis né by Kunitoshi Manda (Japan) Lettre au fils by Philippe Welsh (France) Malcom by Baker Karim (Sweden) Meeting Evil (Möte med ondskan) by Reza Parsa (Sweden) 2 Minutes (2 Minutter) by Jacob Tschernia (Denmark) Le Vigile by Frédéric Pelle (France) From Mesmer, with Love or Tea for Two (De Mesmer, con amor o Té para dos) by Salvador Lubezki & Alejandro Lubezki (Mexico)
Special screenings
Intacto by Juan Carlos Fresnadillo (Spain) (opening film) More by Barbet Schroeder (Luxembourg) (La séance du Parrain) Bella Ciao by Roberto Torelli, Marco Giusti (Italy) (Documentary) Intimisto by Licia Eminenti (France) (Prix de la Critique) Anxiety by Christoffer Boe (Denmark) (Prix de la Critique) Da Zero a Dieci (From Zero to Ten) by Luciano Ligabue (Italy) (closing film)
Directors' Fortnight The following films were screened for the 2002 Directors' Fortnight (Quinzaine des Réalizateurs):
Abouna by Mahamat-Saleh Haroun (Chad, France) Angela by Roberta Torre (Italy) Apartment 5C by Raphaël Nadjari (France, Israel, United States) Blue Gate Crossing by Chih-yen Yee (Taiwan, France) Bord de mer by Julie Lopes-Curval (France) The Embalmer (L'imbalsamatore) by Matteo Garrone (Italy) Ingmar Bergman: Intermezzo (doc.) by Gunnar Bergdahl (Sweden) István Bibó, fragments by Péter Forgács (Hungary) Japón by Carlos Reygadas (Mexico, Spain, Germany) Laurel Canyon by Lisa Cholodenko (United States) Matir Moina (The Clay Bird) by Tareque Masud (France, Bangladesh) Monrak Transistor by Pen-ek Ratanaruang (Thailand) Morvern Callar by Lynne Ramsay (United Kingdom) Nada+ by Juan Carlos Cremata Malberti (Cuba, France, Spain, Italy) Occident by Cristian Mungiu (Romania) Once Upon a Time in the Midlands by Shane Meadows (United Kingdom, Germany) Only the Strong Survive (doc.) by D.A. Pennebaker, Chris Hegedus (United States) Un oso rojo by Israel Adrián Caetano (Argentina, France, Spain) Otello di Carmelo Bene by Carmelo Bene (Italy) Le pays du chien qui chante by Yann Dedet (France) Une pure coïncidence by Romain Goupil (France) Sex Is Comedy by Catherine Breillat (France) Two (Deux) by Werner Schroeter (France, Germany) Welcome to Collinwood by Joseph and Anthony Russo (United States)
Short films
A-20 by Geoff Hughes, Brad Warren (United States) Après l’enfance by Thomas Lilti (France) Bang Nhau... Egaux by Stéfan Sao Nélet (France) Bob the slob by Nate Theis (United States) Bus 44 by Dayyan Eng (Hong Kong, United States) L’Arrivée by Peter Tscherkassky (Austria) Comme ça j’entends la mer by Hélène Milano (France) Comme un seul homme by Jean-Louis Gonnet (France) Deux cents dirham by Laila Marrakchi (France, Morocco) Entering indifference by Vincent Dieutre (France) Fish in the Sea is Not Thirsty by Soopum Sohn (South Korea, United States) Insomniac by Matt Woo], Vanja Varasac (United States) La Vie sur un fil by Steven Lippman (United States) Mémoires incertaines by Michale Boganim (France, United Kingdom) Mexicano by Toby McDonald (United Kingdom) Muno by Bouli Lanners (Belgium) Next Door by Jeff Rich (United States) Présent inachevé by Johan Van der Keuken (Netherlands) Phantom by Matthias Müller (Germany) Portraits filmés 2002 by Valérie Mréjen (France) Samson by Graham Dubose (United States) The Girl in the Red Dress by Aletta Collins (United Kingdom)
1939 Palme d'Or The inaugural Cannes Film Festival was to have been held in 1939, but was cancelled by the outbreak of the Second World War. The organizers of the 2002 festival assembled a jury of six members, including Dieter Kosslick and Alberto Barbera, to watch seven of the twelve features which had been entered in the 1939 competition, namely: Goodbye, Mr. Chips, La piste du nord, Lenin in 1918, The Four Feathers, The Wizard of Oz, Union Pacific, and Boefje. Union Pacific was retrospectively voted the winner of the 1939 Palme d'Or.;
Official Awards
The following films and people received the 2002 Official selection awards:
Main Competition : The Pianist by Roman Polanski Grand Prix: The Man Without a Past by Aki Kaurismäki Best Director: Im Kwon-taek for Chi-hwa-seon Paul Thomas Anderson for Punch-Drunk Love Best Screenplay: Sweet Sixteen by Paul Laverty Best Actress: Kati Outinen for The Man Without a Past Best Actor: Olivier Gourmet for The Son Jury Prize: Divine Intervention by Elia Suleiman 55th Anniversary Prize: Bowling for Columbine by Michael Moore
Honorary Palme d'Or Woody Allen
Un Certain Regard Blissfully Yours by Apichatpong Weerasethakul
Cinéfondation First Prize: Um Sol Alaranjado by Eduardo Valente