French director Laurent Cantet (2nd L) is surrounded by students as he holds the Palme d'Or award for his film "Entre les Murs" ("The Class") during the award ceremony at the 61st Cannes Film Festival, on Sunday, May 25, 2008. [Photo: Reuters/Eric Gaillard]

The Grand Prix runner-up prize went to Italy's "Gomorra" (Gomorrah), Matteo Garrone's hard-hitting film about the world of the Camorra Naples crime network whose empire extends from waste disposal to haute couture.

Garrone was lauded for his courage in tackling the subject, especially since the author of the bestseller on which it is based has lived under police protection for the past two years.

ITALIAN DOUBLE

The second Italian competition entry, "Il Divo," a satire on the life of former prime minister Giulio Andreotti and directed by Paolo Sorrentino, won the jury award.

A special prize was given to Catherine Deneuve and Eastwood, whose film "The Exchange," starring Jolie, was in competition.

The Best Director award went to Turkey's Nuri Bilge Ceylan for "Three Monkeys," a dark tale of family secrets.

Benicio del Toro was named Best Actor for his portrayal of the Argentine revolutionary Ernesto "Che" Guevara in Steven Soderbergh's epic four-and-a-half hour "Che."

"I'd like to dedicate this to the man himself, Che Guevara," del Toro said.

The Best Actress award went to Sandra Corveloni, who plays an overworked mother in the popular Brazilian drama "Linha de Passe" (Line of Passage), set in the slums of Sao Paulo.

Belgium's Dardenne brothers, Jean-Pierre and Luc, have won the Palme d'Or twice but this time took away the prize for Best Screenplay for "Lorna's Silence," and Britain's Steve McQueen won the Camera d'Or, given to debut directors, for "Hunger."

The visually stunning film portrays Bobby Sands' 66-day hunger strike in 1981 which ended in his death and made him a potent symbol of opposition to British rule in Northern Ireland.

Jury president Sean Penn had been expected to favor a film with a social or political slant, and the only big surprise on the night was the fact that Israeli animated documentary "Waltz With Bashir" went unrecognized.

Critics believed the film was a contender for the top prize due to its innovative techniques and for its haunting retelling of an Israeli conscript's efforts to dig up buried memories of the massacre of Palestinians in Beirut's refugee camps in 1982.

(China Daily/Agencies May 26,2008)