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Amour , Michael Haneke's heartbreaking account of old age, has won the Palme d'Or at Cannes 2012, bringing the director his second win at the festival in three years.
Having landed the big prize in 2009 for The White Ribbon , Haneke was recognised by the jury once more, holding off competition from Jacques Audiard's similarly feted Rust And Bone . The Austrian director denied his French counterpart in 2009 as well.
The film tells the story of an elderly couple, who find their relationship under terrible strain thanks to the onset of old age and its various debilitating side-effects. Not as violently shocking as The White Ribbon or Funny Games , it still packs a hell of an emotional punch.
Elsewhere, Matte Garrone's reality TV satire Reality was awarded the Grand Prix, while Beyond The Hills was recognised for Cristian Mungiu's screenplay and its co-leading ladies, Cristina Flutur and Cosmina Stratan.
Mads Mikkelsen was rightly awarded Best Actor for his powerful turn in The Hunt , while Ken Loach picked up the Jury Prize for The Angel's Share . Carlos Reygadas completes the list of major winners, landing Best Director for Post Tenebras Lux .
Amour will open in the UK on 16 November 2012.
