Italians leave Cannes empty-handed - update

(ANSA) - Rome, May 25 - Italy has left the Cannes Film Festival empty-handed, with strong entries from three of the country's top directors failing to pick up awards as the host nation dominated the closing ceremony. Paolo Sorrentino's Youth, Matteo Garrone's Tale of Tales and Nanni Moretti's Mia Madre all missed out, despite making positive impressions on many critics. French director Jacques Audiard's Dheepan, a story of Sri Lankan refugees in France, won the Palme d'Or.
    Holocaust movie Son of Saul took the Grand Prix award, while Vincent Lindon got the Best Actor gong and Rooney Mara and Emmanuelle Bercot shared Best Actress prize.
    Accusations flew following the verdict, ranging from calling Italy's snubbing "an injustice," and "a slap in the face," and for some, due to the lack of an Italian juror.
    Others pointed the finger at the jury itself and a mistaken approach to cinematic criteria used in judging the films.
    This year's jury was composed of an eclectic group ranging from jury co-presidents American filmmakers Joel and Ethan Coen, to actors Sienna Miller and Jake Gyllenhaal, Mexican director Guillermo del Toro and the youngest juror, 26-year-old French-Canadian actor-filmmaker Xavier Dolan. Cinematographer and director of September's 2015 Venice International Film Festival, Alberto Barbera, didn't mince words in his criticism of the results.
    "An unbalanced, questionable verdict, surely due to a compromise," Barbera told Italy's La Stampa.
    "France collects a bunch (of trophies) in a disappointing year and we send three great artists into competition and bring home nothing," he said.
    When asked whether the absence of an Italian juror made a difference, Barbera said, "I'm afraid yes. A prestigious heavyweight (on the jury) usually manages to pull off something.
    Let's not pretend that this element isn't needed".
    The Coen brothers shot back against the various accusations and skepticism, defending their choices.
    "This isn't a jury of film critics," Joel Coen said, speaking to reporters after the awards ceremony. "This is a jury of artists who are looking at the work," he said.
    As to Italy's empty-handed result, the brothers curtly said, "we didn't have prizes for everyone".