6 Movies That Could Win The Palme Dor At Cannes Film Festival 2014

If the Cannes Film Festival is one of the best platforms to appreciate and honor world movies, the Palme d'Or is definitely the top prize that every serious director hopes to win every year. And like every year, this year's selections at Cannes for the coveted award include 18 of the choicest of world cinema. And as far as predictions for the Palme d'Or go, these are the six movies that the bookies are placing their bet on this year.
1. Winter Sleep

Language: Turkish

Director: Nuri Bilge Ceylan

(c) Zeynofilm

A Turkish drama set in a small Anatolian hotel, where the owners feel trapped in when the harsh winter arrives - 'Winter Sleep' is by far the most popular choice in the Palme d'Or predictions. This is director Ceylan's sixth Palme d'Or nomination - including one for the Best Short Film in 1995. Most critics believe that he is long overdue for a win - and this time it will probably be him winning the award.
2. The Homesman

Language: English

Director: Tommy Lee Jones

(c) EuropaCorp

After his first and only nomination for the Palme d'Or for 'The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada' in 2005, 'The Fugitive' star Tommy Lee Jones is back in Cannes with his second nomination. A western drama about a claim jumper and a pioneer woman who team up to escort three insane women from one state to another, this movie stars some big names like Hilary Swank and Meryl Streep.
3. Mr. Turner

Language: English

Director: Mike Leigh

(c) Film4

If Mike Leigh, famous for movies like 'Another Year' and 'Happy-Go-Lucky', wins- this will make for his second Palme d'Or since 1996. This movie is based on the life of British artist J.M.W. Turner - and if the jury president Jane Campion, who favors period dramas, has her way - this would be the winning movie at the competition.
4. The Search

Language: French

Director: Michel Hazanavicius

(c) La Petite Reine

'The Search' is a French drama about the relationship that forms between an NGO worker and a young Chechnyan boy. What is important to note here is Hazanavicius is the director who gave us the Oscar-winning movie 'The Artist' - which was also nominated for the Palme d'Or in 2011, but lost out to the Brad Pitt-starrer 'The Tree of Life'.
5. Leviathan

Language: Russian

Director: Andrey Zvyagintsev

(c) Andrey Zvyagintsev

Another second-time nominee for the prestigious award at Cannes is Zvyagintsev with his drama 'Leviathan'. The movie is a modern retelling of the Book of Jobs, dealing with some important social issues that plague contemporary Russia. Plot-wise, it is about a man who struggles against a corrupt mayor.
6. Still the Water

Language: Japanese

Director: Naomi Kawase

(c) Kumie

While the Palme d'Or has been won by Japanese directors three times since the beginning of this film festival, this nomination is significant in that the coveted award has been won by a female director only once. A romance about two Japanese teenagers who learn to become adults through the cycle of life, death and love, 'Still the Water' is set in the subtropical Japanese island of Amami.

Photo: (c) EuropaCorp (Main Image)

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