Laurent Cantet's "Entre Les Murs" won the Palme d'Or as the Cannes Film Festival came to a close tonight in France. The award for best director went to Nuri Bilge Ceylan for "Three Monkeys," while Jean Pierre and Luc Dardenne won the award for best screenplay for "Le Silence de Lorna" and the Jury Prize went to "Il Divo," directed by Paolo Sorrentino.

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Perhaps it's appropriate that the documentary "Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired" received a special screening at this year's Cannes Film Festival, considering that its firm distribution deal really does seem like something special. During the latest Sundance Film Festival, "Wanted and Desired" became the first purchase after days of trepidation emanating from niche distributors -- an indicator of the dispiriting trend among buyers that continued into the Cannes Film Festival, although there was a slight burst of activity as the event comes to a close this weekend. The increasing difficulty to get American distributors interested is all the more evident now, with diagnoses for the problem spanning from broad cultural associations to specific issues popping up in the corners of the independent film landscape. With the dollar weak and alternative distribution venues on the rise, Cannes arrived like an intervention, bringing everyone under the same umbrella to figure out if they can come to terms with the problems at hand. So far, it looks like they're able, at the very least, to acknowledge them.

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In terms of the political/social engagement of competition films at the 61st Cannes Film Festival, it isn't too much of a stretch to say that Charlie Kaufman's "Synecdoche, New York" makes Arnaud Desplechin's dysfunctional family drama "A Christmas Tale" look like "Che," or even "Waltz With Bashir." Much-bruited, much-imitated screenwriter Kaufman's directorial debut features a parade of obsessively self-examining characters that never so much as talk politics, let alone practice any. The depths of the self-obsession of its main character, Schenectady-based theater director Caden (Phillip Seymour Hoffman) are made vivid in one shot in which he's half-hugging the toilet bowl and poking at his own feces, which he's convinced have blood in them.

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The one overwhelming message coming from the competition films at the 61st Cannes Film Festival is: shit's messed up. "Waltz With Bashir" digs into the never-fully-healed wounds of war. In Matteo Garrone's "Gomorra," organized crime isn't an aberration; it's just the shadow army of an irredeemably venal free-market system. The Dardenne Brothers' "The Silence of Lorna" expresses a horror at a not-too-underground economy in the trade of human lives. Lucia Martel's "Un Mujer Sin Cabeza" takes a still, near-surreal look at class (un)consciousness, and doesn't like what it sees. Even the period melodrama here, Clint Eastwood's fact-based "The Changeling," fairly bristles with anger at corrupt authoritarianism. And even the not-overtly socially conscious family saga here, Arnaud Desplechin's "A Christmas Tale" (Un Conte de Noel) emphasizes fissure and disruption over harmony and affinity. [Glenn Kenny]

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"It's always a neck and neck race with red ink," quipped Woody Allen at the end of a Martinez lunch with a few journalists earlier this week here at the Cannes Film Festival. While discussing his acclaimed new film, "Vicky Cristina Barcelona," Allen pondered the challenges of finding the funding to make his own movies, while at separate fest events this week the Dardenne Brothers and filmmaker James Gray -- all Cannes favorites who frequently bring new work to the festival -- discussed similar challenges facing the personal, auteur cinema typically showcased here each year. [Eugene Hernandez]

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Continuing coverage of the Marche du Film in Cannes, indieWIRE reports on the latest deals and news from the Croisette. The Film Department's Mark Gill and Neil Sacker sat down with Mike Goodridge at the American Pavilion to update on the nearly one-year-old company's progress, Arthouse Films signs an exclusive deal with Fortissimo, both First Look Studios and Magnolia Pictures sign with Jaman.com, and more. Peter Knegt and Jenny Sung]

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Good, but not great. Accomplished, but not amazing. A consistent thread is emerging within this year's Cannes selection: Name directors are showing up with solid work that displays their talents, but doesn't transcend them or spin them into new, novel directions. A familiar refrain has been heard over the last few days: "I liked it, but it wasn't as good as their last film." Are auteurs spinning their wheels? With several new movies to go, from Steven Soderbergh's "Che" epic to Laurent Cantet's high-school study "The Class" to Atom Egoyan's latest "Adoration" (which has been rumored to be a come-back film, of sorts), it's too early to make a judgment call about Cannes' 61st, but no film is blowing audiences out of the water.

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Continuing coverage of the Marche du Film in Cannes, indieWIRE reports on the latest deals and news from the Croisette. Tuesday saw Spike Lee discussing his latest film, "Miracle at St. Anna," Zentropa announcing their "Young Europeans" project, Holland's Cyrte and their new worldwide label, Fortissmo's plans for a new John Woo film, and more.

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Continuing coverage of the Marche du Film in Cannes, indieWIRE reports on the latest deals and news from the Croisette. Monday afternoon saw the 6th Europe Day program take place, IFC acquired the North American rights to "The Chaser," Optimum Releasing announced plans to release "Whiteout," Celluloid Dreams options the right to Phillip K. Dick's "UBIK," Lightning Media acquires the rights to Amy Redford's "Guitar," a look at the Hungarian Pavilion, and more.

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Rainy days here in Cannes may have dampened morale, but the films, and a much-needed burst of sunshine on Sunday morning, have boosted critics' spirits. Aside from "Blindness," Fernando Meirelles' apocalyptic opener, which received a mixed response, this year's competition slate has yielded a satisfying crop of art-cinema--though no masterpieces have yet emerged. Critical consensus has Arnaud Desplechin's "A Christmas Tale" as the competition's front-runner so far, though the animated Israeli drama "Waltz with Bashir," which screened on day two, also played extremely well.

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Continuing coverage of the Marche du Film in Cannes, indieWIRE reports on the latest deals and news from the Croisette. The Weinstein Company buys the rights to best-selling book "The Alchemist," Reliance announced plans to fund Hollywood production companies, IFC Films takes "L'Aventure," MGM heads discuss the company's future at the American Pavilion, a look at the Korean Pavillion, and more.

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Continuing coverage of the Marche du Film in Cannes, indieWIRE reports on the latest deals and news from the Croisette. India-based media company Reliance Big Entertainment commits to a $1 billion slate, the Weinsteins acquired "Eden Lake," and inked a pan-Asian deal with TV network STAR, Greenstreet nabs the international rights to "Long Time Gone," Flip Video puts on a shorts competition at Cannes, the Argentina Pavilion celebrates a full slate at the Festival, and more.

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While attendees sat inside the Cannes Film Festival's Debussy theater on Wednesday watching the morning press screening of Fernando Meirelles' harrowing "Blindness," nearby on the Croisette dozens of costumed pandas danced with Jack Black to hype the animated festival entry, "Kung Fu Panda." Like the abandoned characters depicted in the horrific world of "Blindness," the French locals wearing the 100 lb. bear costumes yesterday had to be carefully escorted from the Carlton Beach pier because they were unable to see anything. Such was the scene during the first twenty-four hours of the 2008 Cannes Film Festival, an event comprised of serious films for cinephiles and PR stunts aimed at movie industry insiders and thousands of attending journalists.

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Continuing coverage of the Marche du Film in Cannes, indieWIRE reports on the latest deals and news from the Croisette. MTV acquires "Planet B-Boy from Elephant Eye, Celluloid Dreams begins pre-sales of Jacques Audiard's latest, Jada Pinkett- Smith brings her directorial debut to Cannes, Origin Pictures will launch in June, a look at the Canadian pavillion, and more.

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Continuing coverage of the Marche du Film in Cannes, indieWIRE reports on the latest deals and news from the Croisette. IFC has acquired a pair of Cannes festival entries, Arnaud Desplechin's "A Christmas Tale" and Josh Safdie's "The Pleasure of Being Robbed." Meanwhile, Fortissimo has had a busy round of sales leading up to the festival, while Salt launches for its first market after being re-branded. Finally, Julie Delpy inks pre-sales for her passion project, a look at the Ukranian pavillion, and more.

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Rainy skies and industry-wide gloom-and-doom hover over this year's Cannes, but the nearly 11,000 registrants attending this year's festival and Market can't all be depressed. With thousands of new films on offer, from auteur visions to star-driven genre pictures, and hundreds of distributors in need of product, the supply-and-demand business of Cannes must go on. Along the Cote d'Azur Tuesday, in fact, the dreary weather finally broke to reveal sunny skies.

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In the first of a series of daily dispatches focusing on the business side of the 2008 Cannes Film Festival: indieWIRE talks to Marche du Film director Jerome Paillard; Fortissimo acquires the rights to "Gigantic;" TFI is set to show some of Spike Lee's "Miracle at St. Anna," Arthouse Films acquires "Louise Bourgeois, Echo Bridge debuts a new slate, and the American Pavilion celebrates twenty years.

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