"Tree of life" by the Malick WINS Cannes top honour

Expansive drama of the American Director Terrence Malick "the tree of life" won the top honor at the Cannes Festival, Sunday, while Kirsten Dunst won the award for best actress for the saga apocalyptic "melancholy."

The price of gold was accepted Sunday by two producers of "Tree of life", Dede Gardner and Bill Pohlad, for the press-shy notoriously Malick, who jumped all public events at the prestigious Cannes film festival.

"I know it would be very pleased with this," Pohlad said.

"Why is he here?". I do not say that it is a question easy to answer, but he is personally a very humble guy and a very shy guy, "Pohlad said after the award of the prize. "It is just very sincerely work to speak for itself."

Gardner said when he came to the prospect of a Cannes Award, Malick had been "very mild." "He said:"if we were lucky that, I would like to thank my parents and my wife Becky"."

"The tree of life," which opens Friday at United States, stars Brad Pitt, Sean Penn and Jessica Chastain in a history distant family life which is played against a cosmic background, including the Visual glorious of the creation of the universe and the age of the dinosaurs.

Dunst won for his role in the history of the end of the world "Melancholy", whose Director, Lars von Trier's Denmark, was banned at the Festival after remarks sympathetic to Adolf Hitler at a press conference.

Actress Elena Anaya, right, director Pedro Almodovar kisses on the cheek as they arrive for screening of the skin, I live, the 64th film festival in Cannes, South of the France Thursday, May 19, 2011. (AP Photo/Joel Ryan) Close

"Wow, what a week it was," said Dunst, who plays a deeply depressed woman coping with manies family as a rogue planet is down on a possible collision with the Earth course.

"It is an honour which is a unique thing for an actress," said Dunst, who thanked the organizers of the festival to allow "Melancholy" to remain in the competition after remarks Nazi von Trier and offered warm words for its Director. "I want to thank Lars for giving me the opportunity to be so brave."

Von Trier was not allowed to attend the ceremony on Sunday.

Jean Dujardin claimed the award for best actor for the silent film "The artist", in which he plays a star of Hollywood of the 1920s whose career crumbles as talking images become the standard. In keeping with his singing, nature Lookout, Dujardin was a little tap when he came to the stage of Cannes.

Dujardin said that he wanted to share his prize with partner Bérénice Bejo, got up and blew kisses him on the stage. The film was directed by the husband of Bejo, French filmmaker Michel Hazanavicius, who has made Dujardin in "oss 117" parodies of espionage.

"I hope to make other silent films with you," Dujardin said Hazanavicius.

Several well received films, among them Spanish thriller of horror film director Pedro Almodovar "The skin I Live In" and "We need to talk about Kevin by British filmmaker Lynne Ramsay" go home empty-handed.

Malick, who made that five films in a career of almost 40 years, previously won the lead in 1979 for "Days of Heaven" on his last trip to Cannes. "The tree of life" was shot three years ago and the festival organizers had hoped premiere at Cannes last year, but he was not ready in time.

Prizes were awarded by a jury of nine members, led by Robert De Niro, which included actors Uma Thurman and Jude Law.

"The tree of life" is the first American film to win top honors at the Cannes Film Festival since back-to-back recipient in 2003 (Gus Van Sant "elephant") and 2004 (Michael Moore "Fahrenheit 9/11").