Sawt Falasteen - Russian war drama among favourites for top Cannes prize

"Minotaur", by exiled Russian auteur Andrey Zvyagintsev, depicting a callous and calculating businessman in the midst of Russia's mobilisation for the Ukraine war, is one of several strong contenders for the Palme d'Or.

"Those who agree that it's time to put an end to this hell, and that it's a nightmare and a disaster for Russia, those people will understand this film clearly," Zvyagintsev told AFP.

Other critics' favourites include "La Bola Negra", a big-budget Spanish drama about multiple gay lives, arty black-and-white historical drama "Fatherland", and "Fjord", which stars Norwegian actress Renate Reinsve.

"A Man of His Time", about an ambitious local official working in France's collaborationist government during World War II, or the poignant "All of a Sudden", by Japan's Ryusuke Hamaguchi, might also be in with a shot.

The jury, headed by South Korean auteur Park Chan-wook with Hollywood star Demi Moore and Oscar-winning "Nomadland" director Chloe Zhao, will reveal the winner late Saturday.

Last year's prize went to "It Was Just an Accident", a political drama by dissident Iranian director Jafar Panahi about torture and revenge in the Islamic republic.

- Nepal makes history -

Some prizes have already been handed out, with Iranian documentary "Rehearsals for a Revolution", about political repression in the war-wracked country by exiled actress and director Pegah Ahangarani, taking the top documentary prize.

The transgender cast of "Elephants in the Fog" -- Nepal's first-ever film in competition at Cannes -- danced and sang after it won the jury prize of the official Certain Regard section Friday, with its star Pushpa Thing Lama draping the Nepalese flag around director Abinash Bikram Shah's neck as she hugged him.

Its top prize went to Austrian director Sandra Wollner for "Everytime", a "gripping tale on grief".

The best actor prize meanwhile went to 18-year-old Bradley Fiomona Dembeasset, who was discovered in a street audition in the Central African capital Bangui for the crowd-pleasing "Congo Boy", a refugee rap drama.

One of Britain's only feature films showing in Cannes, "I See Buildings Fall Like Lightning", by Clio Barnard about a group of five friends, picked up top prize in the parallel Directors' Fortnight section.

The 79th edition of the film festival was packed with its usual stable of A-listers, from John Travolta to Cate Blanchett, but Hollywood was under-represented.

No major US studio agreed to launch a blockbuster at Cannes this year, or at the Berlin International Film Festival in February, raising questions about why giants such as Universal, Disney or Warner are dodging European events.

Other big talking points included the use of artificial intelligence in filmmaking, as well as the continued under-representation of women in the industry.

Only five of the 22 films in the main competition this year were directed by women.

Y.AlMasri--SF-PST