Director: Peque Gallaga
Writers: Jose Javier Reyes, Peque Gallaga, Mario Taguiwalo, Conchita Castillo
Cast: Manny Ojeda, Liza Lorena, Sandy Andolong, Cherie Gil, Fides Cuyugan-Asensio, Joel Torre, Maya Valdez, Lorli Villanueva, Ronnie Lazaro
Runtime: 194 minutes
Most Filipino film-goers nowadays would know Peque Gallaga best for his prosthetics-heavy horror flicks (Shake, Rattle & Roll; Tiyanak; Aswang), kiddie fantasy pics (Magic Temple; Mortal Kombat: Alamat ng Damortis), or erotika (Scorpio Nights; Virgin Forest). But before those, he contributed one of the few genuine masterpieces of Philippine cinema: the unmatched epic Oro, Plata, Mata.
The film starts innocuously with a lively party that brings together two aristocratic families in Negros during World War II. Here, Maggie Ojeda (Sandy Andolong) is introduced to society as a young woman, while her sister Trining (Cherie Gil) experiences her first kiss with childhood sweetheart Miguel Lorenzo (Joel Torre). The prospect of war looms over the event, with Don Claudio Ojeda (Manny Ojeda) discussing it with his fellow landowners amidst the joviality, but it is not until the celebration is cut short by news of the fall of Corregidor to the Japanese that the descent to darkness truly begins for the characters. To escape from the war that approaches them, the Ojedas and the Lorenzos are forced to flee the latter's manor for the forest, where they encounter first-hand the depths to which man can be forced by the terrors of war. Those that survive the ordeal are ultimately changed, a far cry from the figures of naive complacency that they had been in the beginning.
Though the attempt to portray the loss of innocence can be heavy-handed at times (the vindictive rampage of Miguel Lorenzo near the end and the fate of a supposed diwata being the most glaring examples), Gallaga and his co-writers have woven an uncharacteristically tight and powerful Filipino film that cuts no corners. Throughout the film, there is a palpable aura of dread and ill portent, even as it closes off with the inevitable celebration of the Japanese's defeat in the war. Not much was spared in bringing the prospect of violence to the fore, with the characters driving their carabaos and belongings through raging fires (a truly memorable sequence, perhaps one of the greatest in Philippine cinema) and carnal desires being fulfilled amidst the backdrops of towering trees and flowing rivers. The film would go on to win major awards, including Best Picture, from the critics of the Urian, but this is one movie that deserves much more praise and a more prominent place in Philippine film history than it has been granted. There are already telltale signs here of Gallaga's future career as a master of blood-drenched and prosthetics-laden popcorn flicks, but nothing he has made since has matched Oro, Plata, Mata for sheer gravitas, scale, and simple quality. Nor have most films from any other director, for that matter.
Here are the winners of the 2009 Festival de Cannes:
Palm d'Or
The White Ribbon (Michael Haneke, Austria)
Grand Prize
A Prophet (Jacques Audiard, France)
Jury Prize
Fish Tank (Andrea Arnold, Britain) and Thirst (Park Chan-wook, South Korea)
Special Prize
Alain Resnais
Best Director
Brillante Mendoza (Kinatay, Philippines)
Best Actor
Christoph Waltz (Inglourious Basterds, United States)
Best Actress
Charlotte Gainsbourg (Antichrist, Denmark)
Best Screenplay
Feng Mei (Spring Fever, China)
Camera d'Or
Samson and Delilah (Warwick Thornton, Australia)
Best Short Film
Arena (Joao Salaviza, Portugal)
Reviews of Oscar-buzzed films are pouring in from Cannes courtesy of Variety. Here are the ones for Agora, Antichrist, Bright Star, and Taking Woodstock. Click on titles for the full reviews.
Agora
"The mother of all secular humanists fights a losing battle against freshly minted religious zealots in “Agora,” a visually imposing, high-minded epic that ambitiously puts one of the pivotal moments in Western history onscreen for the first time. Alejandro Amenabar’s first feature since “The Sea Inside” five years ago foreshadows the transformation of the Roman-dominated ancient world into Christian medieval times through the story of the much-celebrated astronomer and mathematician Hypatia in 4th-century Alexandria. This elaborately produced English-language Spanish production is consistently spectacular and features enough conflict and action to make it marketable, but a certain heaviness of style and lack of an emotional pulse could pose problems for mass audience acceptance, at least in the U.S."
Antichrist
"Lars von Trier cuts a big fat art-film fart with "Antichrist." As if deliberately courting critical abuse, the Danish bad boy densely packs this theological-psychological horror opus with grotesque, self-consciously provocative images that might have impressed even Hieronymus Bosch, as the director pursues personal demons of sexual, religious and esoteric bodily harm, as well as feelings about women that must be a comfort to those closest to him. Traveling deep into NC-17 territory, this may prove a great date movie for pain-is-pleasure couples. Otherwise, most of the director's usual fans will find this outing risible, off-putting or both -- derisive hoots were much in evidence during and after the Cannes press screening -- while the artiness quotient is far too high for mainstream-gore groupies."
Bright Star
"The Jane Campion embraced by 1990s arthouse audiences but who’s been missing of late makes an impressive return with “Bright Star.” Breaking through any period-piece mustiness with piercing insight into the emotions and behavior of her characters, the writer-director examines the final years in the short life of 19th-century romantic poet John Keats through the eyes of his beloved, Fanny Brawne, played by Abbie Cornish in an outstanding performance. Beautifully made film possesses solid appeal for specialized auds in most markets, including the U.S., where it will be released by Bob Berney and Bill Pohlad’s yet-to-be named new distribution company, although its poetic orientation and dramatic restraint will likely stand in the way of wider acceptance."
Taking Woodstock
"Gentle, genial and about as memorable as a mild reefer high, “Taking Woodstock” takes a backdoor approach to revisit the landmark musical weekend through the antics and efforts of some of the people who made it happen. A sort of let’s-put-on-a-show summer-camp lark for director Ang Lee after the dramatic rigors of “Brokeback Mountain” and “Lust, Caution,” the picture serves up intermittent pleasures but is too raggedy and laid-back for its own good, its images evaporating nearly as soon as they hit the screen. Set for release in August on the 40th anniversary of the event, the Focus release looks like a mild B.O. contender."
From these reviews, Bright Star seems to be destined to become Jane Campion's comeback into the winner's circle and a major Oscar contender come year's end. Best Picture and Best Director nominations are a distinct possibility, while a Best Actress citation for Abbie Cornish is looking likely. A Best Actor nod for Ben Whishaw is less so but still possible. As with most period films, there are chances for technical nominations, with Mark Bradshaw's score getting special mention. Agora seems to be headed for a number of technical Oscar nominations, the likeliest among them Costume Design (Gabrielle Pescucci), Art Direction (Guy Hendrix Dyas) and, to a lesser extent, Cinematography (Xavi Gimenez) and Original Score (Dario Marianelli). Antichrist has an outside, all-too-slim chance of getting cited for its lensing (last year's winner, Anthony Dod Mantle). While it is never perfectly wise to completely discount Ang Lee films, the response sounds too tepid to warrant much interest. Prior to wide U.S. release, possibilities seem limited to citations for the supporting turns of Imelda Staunton and Liev Schreiber.
Since 1946, the Festival de Cannes has showcased among the most interesting and diverse slices of world cinema and given international cineastes an additional reason to celebrate films. Even before Cannes started to give out the coveted award that has come to be known as the Palm d'Or, it has honored actors for their excellence and contribution to the process of film-making. I have been hearing of the festival and have been aware of its significance for several years (even if the true film fanatic in me was not born until 2001), but the first time that the Fest and its winners truly registered in my mind was in 2000, when Bjork won the Best Actress award for her amazing performance in Lars von Trier's Dancer in the Dark. It is still my opinion that her having failed to subsequently snag at least an Oscar nomination for it is one of the great missteps of the Academy.
Now that we are days into the 2009 Festival de Cannes, I thought that it would be interesting to look at the actresses who have been honored by the jurors since 1946 and what their careers have been like since then. Since this is primarily an Oscar site, I'm adding info on whether or not these actresses were nominated for the Oscar for the same performance.
1946
MICHELE MORGAN
La Symphonie Pastorale (France)
Role: A blind woman who becomes the subject of affection of a minister and his son.
Oscar: None.
Status: Morgan's last credited project (as per IMDb) was for television in 1999. Since winning at Cannes, she has won citations from the Cesar Awards and the Venice Film Festival, and was selected as president of the jury of the 1971 Festival de Cannes.
1949
ISA MIRANDA
Le Mura di Malapaga (Italy)
Role: A worker at a trattoria who falls in love with a man on the run from the law and whom her daughter also loves.
Oscar: None.
Status: Died in 1982. Miranda's last performance was in a miniseries in 1978. She was a member of the Cannes jury in 1955.
1951
BETTE DAVIS
All About Eve (USA)
Role: Aging stage actress and diva Margo Channing, who has to contend with age and with a manipulative ingenue.
Oscar: A nomination for Best Actress in 1951.
Status: Died in 1989. Davis is regarded as one of the greatest American actresses to have graced film, with 11 Oscar nominations and two wins to prove it.
1952
LEE GRANT
Detective Story (USA)
Role: A naive shoplifter caught up in a drama at a police precinct.
Oscar: A nomination for Best Supporting Actress in 1952.
Status: Grant last appeared in a film in 2005. Since debuting in the film and getting the Cannes win and Oscar nomination for it, she has been Oscar-nominated thrice more, winning once.
1956
SUSAN HAYWARD
I'll Cry Tomorrow (USA)
Role: A Broadway star with an overly ambitious mother, and whose life spirals downward in alcoholism and failed relationships before she finds redemption.
Oscar: A nomination for Best Actress in 1956.
Status: Died in 1975. Hayward's Oscar nomination for this film was her fourth. Three years later, she won her first and last Oscar.
1957
GIULIETTA MASINA
Le Notti di Cabiria (Italy)
Role: A prostitute who looks for love but finds only misery and heartache.
Oscar: None.
Status: Died in 1994. Masina was never nominated for an Oscar, but she is widely beloved by cineastes, particularly in her performances in films directed by her husband Federico Fellini. She scored nominations from BAFTA and a citation from the Berlinale.
1958
BIBI ANDERSSON, INGRID THULIN, EVA DAHLBECK, BARBIO HIORT AF ORNAS
Nara Livet (Sweden)
Roles: Three pregnant women (Andersson, Thulin, Dahlbeck) and a nurse (Hiort Af Ornas).
Oscar: None.
Status: Andersson and Thulin (died in 2004) are staples in Ingmar Bergman films and both have been honored with BAFTA nominations. Andersson, still a working actress, has won in Berlinale and was a member of the Cannes jury in 1972. Dahlbeck (died early this year) last appeared on film in 1970 and was BAFTA-nominated once. Hiort Af Ornas last appeared in Swedish television in 2001.
1959
SIMONE SIGNORET
Room at the Top (United Kingdom)
Role: An unhappily married woman who falls for a man who is ultimately forced to leave her for another woman whom he has impregnated.
Oscar: A win for Best Actress in 1960.
Status. Died in 1985. Signoret won an Oscar and was nominated once more. She also won multiple citations from BAFTA, the Golden Globes, the Cesar, and the Berlinale.
1960
MELINA MERCOURI
Never on Sunday (Greece)
and
JEANNE MOREAU
Moderato Cantabile (France)
Roles: A prostitute whom an American scholar in Greece tries to transform (Mercouri); a wealthy and bored woman who becomes a witness to murder (Moreau).
Oscar: A nomination for Best Actress in 1961 (Mercouri).
Status: Mercouri (died in 1994), widely respected in her native Greece, garnered several nominations from BAFTA and the Golden Globes, aside from the from the Academy for this film. Moreau is a world cinema icon with various wins from BAFTA, Berlinale, and the Cesar. She was selected as president of the Cannes jury twice, in 1975 and 1995.
1961
SOPHIA LOREN
La Ciociara (Italy)
Role: A mother who desperately tries to protect her daughter in World War II Italy.
Oscar: A win for Best Actress in 1962.
Status: Loren is an international screen legend, having gained various accolades from major festivals and award-giving bodies. These include two Oscar nominations and, on top of the win for this film, an Honorary Award from the Academy in 1991. She will next be seen in 2009 in Rob Marshall's Nine, five years after her last appearance. She was selected as the president of the Cannes jury in 1966.
1963
MARINA VLADY
L' Ape Regina (Italy)
Role: A young Catholic virgin who marries an older man and desperately wants to have a baby.
Oscar: None.
Status: Vlady last appeared to audiences in 2001 in television, where she had spent the latter years of her career.
1964
ANNE BANCROFT
The Pumpkin Eater (United Kingdom)
Role: A woman saddled with an unfaithful third husband and seventh child.
Oscar: A nomination for Best Actress in 1965.
Status: Died in 2005. Bancroft made a mark in film with memorable performances, for which she was Oscar-nominated five times and won once. She also had a string of critically acclaimed and awarded performances in television.
1965
SAMANTHA EGGAR
The Collector (USA)
Role: An art student held captive by a psychopath.
Oscar: A nomination for Best Actress in 1966.
Status: Eggar has been working mostly in television. She was last seen in "Commander-In-Chief."
1966
VANESSA REDGRAVE
Morgan--A Suitable Case for Treatment (United Kingdom)
Role: The wife of a dreamer who finally loses his grip on reality.
Oscar: A nomination for Best Actress in 1967.
Status: Redgrave is one of the most respected living actresses. She is still a highly active actor, having last been seen and Oscar-buzzed in Atonement. She has six Oscar nominations and a win to her credit, on top of many other citations.
1969
VANESSA REDGRAVE
Isadora (United Kingdom)
Role: The scandalous, iconic 1920s American dancer.
Oscar: A nomination for Best Actress in 1969.
Status: Redgrave is one of only two actresses to have won consecutively in Cannes and one of only four to have won more than once.
1970
OTTAVIA PICCOLO
Metello (Italy)
Role: The saintly wife of a working class man in 19th century Italy.
Oscar: None.
Status: Piccolo has been working mostly in television in recent years.
1971
KITTY WINN
The Panic in Needle Park (USA)
Role: A homeless woman with a drug addiction.
Oscar: None.
Status: Winn's last appearance was in an episode of the show "Jessie" in 1984. She is perhaps best known for having played the character Sharon in The Exorcist.
1972
SUSANNAH YORK
Images (Ireland)
Role: A housewife driven to delusions and paranoia.
Oscar: None.
Status: An Oscar nominee (for They Shoot Horses, Don't They), York is still working actively in film and television. She was a member of the 1979 Cannes jury.
1973
JOANNE WOODWARD
The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds (USA)
Role: A self-centered and abusive mother who makes life miserable for her daughters.
Oscar: None.
Status: Woodward, wife of Paul Newman, has won an Oscar and garnered three other nominations. She is even more awarded for her television work, with six Emmy nominations and three wins for her work. She last appeared in television in 2005.
1974
MARIE-JOSE NAT
Les Violins du Bal (France)
Role: Dual; mother and wife of film-maker Michel Drach
Oscar: None.
Status: Nat was working steadily until 2006, with much of her later years as an actress in television.
1975
VALERIE PERRINE
Lenny (USA)
Role: The wife of stand-up comic Lenny Bruce.
Oscar: A nomination for Best Actress in 1975.
Status: After getting the Cannes win and Oscar nomination for the same role, most of her career has been relegated to bit parts in film and guest roles in television.
1976
DOMINIQUE SANDA
L' Eredita Ferramonti (Italy)
and
MARI TOROCSIK
Deryne Hol Van? (Hungary)
Roles: A manipulative young temptress (Sanda); A grande dame actress whose fading popularity and competition prompt her to reassess her life (Torocsik).
Oscar: None.
Status: Sanda still appears in international films and television. Torocsik is an active and highly regarded actress in her native Hungary.
1977
MONIQUE MERCURE
J.A. Martin Photographe (Canada)
and
SHELLEY DUVALL
3 Women (USA)
Roles: The wife of photographer J.A. Martin (Mercure); a woman who swaps personalities/status with another woman (Duvall).
Oscar: None.
Status: Mercure still works actively in films and is multi-awarded in Canada. Duvall last appeared in a 2002 film and is perhaps best known for her role opposite Jack Nicholson in The Shining.
1978
ISABELLE HUPPERT
Violette Noziere (France)
and
JILL CLAYBURGH
An Unmarried Woman (USA)
Roles: A woman who leads a double wife and schemes to murder her parents to inherit their wealth (Huppert); a woman who tries to find herself after being left by her husband (Clayburgh).
Oscar: A nomination for Best Actress in 1979 (Clayburgh).
Status: Huppert is a highly regarded French actress with twelve nominations and one win in the Cesar Awards. She also has awards from Berlinale and BAFTA, and still works actively. She was a member of the Cannes jury in 1984. Clayburgh has been twice nominated for an Oscar. She was last seen in Running with Scissors and as a guest in "Nip/Tuck" and will next appear as Pat Nixon in Dirty Tricks.
1979
SALLY FIELD
Norma Rae (USA)
Role: A single mother and textile worker who helps unionize her mill.
Oscar: A win for Best Actress in 1980.
Status: Field is two-for-two with the Academy and is a respected film actress but is even more honored for her television work. She is currently in one of the lead roles in "Brothers & Sisters" and will star as Mary Todd Lincoln in next year's Lincoln by Steven Spielberg. She was a member of the Cannes jury in 1989.
1980
ANOUK AIMEE
Salto nel Vuoto (Italy)
Role: A suicidal woman with a manipulative jurist brother.
Oscar: None.
Status: Aimee is a respected international actress whose name is instantly recognizable to cineastes. She has one Oscar nomination and citations from several other organizations, including the Berlinale.
1981
ISABELLE ADJANI
Possession (Germany/France) and Quartet (United Kingdom)
Roles: A woman who leaves her family for something unspeakable (Possession); a novelist with a extramarital affair (Quartet).
Oscar: None.
Status: Adjani is a French screen legend with two Oscar nominations and four wins out of seven nominations from the Cesar Awards. She was selected as president of the Cannes jury in 1997.
1982
JADWIGA JANKOWSKA-CIESLAK
Olelkezo Tekintetek (Hungary)
Role: A woman murdered amidst the political and sexual repression of post-revolution Hungary.
Oscar: None.
Status: Jankowska-Cieslak is a respected actress in her native Poland.
1983
HANNA SCHYGULLA
Storia di Piera (Italy)
Role: A mother in an incestuous relationship with her daughter.
Oscar: None.
Status: Schygulla is a German screen icon and protege of the late renowned German director Rainer Fassbinder.
1984
HELEN MIRREN
Cal (United Kingdom)
Role: A woman whose husband is murdered by the IRA but unknowingly falls in love with a man partly responsible for the crime.
Oscar: None.
Status: Mirren is one of the most highly regarded British actresses working today. She won her first Oscar in 2007 after two other nominations and numerous accolades elsewhere, including ones for her television work.
1985
NORMA ALEANDRO
La Historia Oficial (Argentina)
and
CHER
Mask (USA)
Roles: A high school professor and housewife who searches for the buried truth about her daughter's identity (Aleandro); a biker gang mother with a deformed child (Cher).
Oscar: None.
Status: Aleandro is a respected actress, director and playwright in Argentina and elsewhere in South America. She has one Oscar nomination. Cher is still more popularly known as a musical performer than as an actress, but she has two Oscar nominations and a win to her credit.
1986
FERNANDA TORRES
Eu Sei Que Vou Te Amar (Brazil)
and
BARBARA SUKOWA
Rosa Luxemburg (Germany)
Roles: The socialist philosopher and revolutionary who co-founded the Spartacist League (Sukowa).
Oscar: None.
Status: Torres is a respected and multi-awarded actress in her native Brazil. Sukowa was a prominent German actress who last appeared in Romance & Cigarettes in 2005.
1987
BARBARA HERSHEY
Shy People (USA)
Role: Ferociously protective mother, married at 12 to an absent abusive man
Oscar: None.
Status: Hershey enjoyed her greatest popularity and acclaim as an actress in the 1980s, though she was not nominated for an Oscar until 1997. She still appears in films and television.
1988
LINDA MVUSI, JODHI MAY, BARBARA HERSHEY
A World Apart (United Kingdom)
Roles: Characters struggling against apartheid and generation gaps in South Africa.
Oscar: None.
Status: This film is Mvusi's sole project. May is still an active actress and will appear in this year's Defiance. Along with Vanessa Redgrave, Hershey is the only actress to have won consecutively. Along with three other actresses, she has been awarded more than once.
1989
MERYL STREEP
A Cry in the Dark (Australia/United Kingdom)
Role: A mother accused of killing her infant, who she insists was killed by a dingo.
Oscar: Nominated for Best Actress in 1989.
Status: Streep is widely regarded as the greatest living actress. She is the reigning queen of the Oscars, with 14 nominations and two wins.
1990
KRYSTYNA JANDA
Przesluchanie (Poland)
Role: A woman who wakes up in prison to be tortured to confess a crime that she is not aware of.
Oscar: None.
Status: Janda is a multi-awarded actress in her native Poland and was a member of the jury of Berlinale in 1993.
1991
IRENE JACOB
La Double Vie de Veronique (Poland/France)
Role: Two women in different places with intertwining lives.
Oscar: None.
Status: Jacob is an acclaimed actress who is most known for her performances in this film and in Trois Couleurs: Rouge.
1992
PERNILLA AUGUST
Den Goda Viljan (Denmark/Sweden)
Role: The mother of Ingmar Bergman.
Oscar: None.
Status: August has also won in Berlin and appeared in a small but important role in the first two installments of the Star Wars prequels.
1993
HOLLY HUNTER
The Piano (New Zealand/Australia/France)
Role: A mute woman sent to New Zealand with her daughter for an arranged marriage.
Oscar: A win for Best Actress in 1994.
Status: Hunter is an acclaimed actress with four Oscar nominations and a win (for this film). She currently stars in the television drama "Saving Grace." She was a member of the Cannes jury in 1999.
1994
VIRNA LISI
La Reine Margot (France)
Role: Catherine de Medicis, the powerful mother of Charles IX.
Oscar: None.
Status: Lisi is a multi-awarded actress, particularly in Italy.
1995
HELEN MIRREN
The Madness of King George (United Kingdom)
Role: Queen Charlotte, George III's loyal queen consort.
Oscar: A nomination for Best Supporting Actress in 1995.
Status: Mirren is one of only four actresses to have won this award more than once.
1996
BRENDA BLETHYN
Secrets & Lies (France/United Kingdom)
Role: A common white woman who discovers that she is the mother of a successful black woman.
Oscar: A nomination for Best Actress in 1997.
Status: Blethyn began in theatre and television, and she has become more famous to international audiences and appeared in more high-profile films since her Oscar nomination for this film and a second two years later.
1997
KATHY BURKE
Nil by Mouth (United Kingdom)
Role: The wife of a violent man in working-class London.
Oscar: None.
Status: Burke is a popular British comedian with awards from BAFTA and other British awards bodies.
1998
ELODIE BOUCHEZ, NATACHA REGNIER
La Vie Revee des Agnes (France)
Roles: Two penniless women who become friends, live together, and face issues regarding family, love, and their shared flat.
Oscar: None.
Status: Both Bouchez and Regnier also won the European Film Award for their performances in this film. Both have also won several awards, including ones from the Cesar Awards, since winning at Cannes.
1999
EMILIE DEQUENNE
Rosetta (Belgium/France)
and
SEVERINE CANEELE
L' Humanite (France)
Roles: A woman who is willing to do anything to keep her job (Dequenne); a sexual factory worker who is also a gentle soul (Caneele)
Oscar: None.
Status: Dequenne has been nominated thrice at the Cesar Awards since her debut in this film. Caneele has appeared in only three other films since this win, the last in 2004.
2000
BJORK
Dancer in the Dark (Denmark)
Role: A mother who goes blind and tragically struggles to prevent the same from happening to her child.
Oscar: None.
Status: Bjork is more popular as an internationally acclaimed musical artist. She has practically forsaken a career as an actress, appearing only once more, in husband Matthew Barney's Drawing Restraint 9.
2001
ISABELLE HUPPERT
La Pianiste (Australia/France)
Role: A piano teacher who enters a sadomasochistic relationship with her younger student.
Oscar: None.
Status: Huppert is one of a few actresses who have won this award more than once, along with Redgrave, Hershey, and Mirren.
2002
KATI OUTINEN
The Man Without a Past (Finland)
Role: A Salvation Army worker in whom the lead, a man suffering from amnesia after a vicious beating, finds love.
Oscar: None.
Status: Outinen is multi-awarded in her native Finland and is particularly well known in Germany and France.
2003
MARIE-JOSEE CROZE
Les Invasions Barbares (Canada/France)
Role: A young drug addict who offers unusual assistance and friendship to a dying history professor.
Oscar: None.
Status: Croze has appeared in high-profile international projects and been critically acclaimed since winning in Cannes. She was last seen in last year's The Diving Bell and the Butterfly.
2004
MAGGIE CHEUNG
Clean (France)
Role: A woman who struggles to remain drug-free after the death of her husband, her imprisonment, and her rekindled desire to take care of her son.
Oscar: None.
Status: Cheung is one the most respected and awarded actresses in Hong Kong and mainland China. She was the first Chinese actress to win in the Berlinale and Cannes. Her most recent film was 2004's 2046. She was a member of last year's Cannes jury.
2005
HANA LASZLO
Free Zone (Israel/France/Spain/Belgium)
Role: A taxi driver in Jordan who brings her passenger along on an eventful journey.
Oscar: None.
Status: Laszlo is an Israeli actress who has two nominations from her native country's film academy.
2006
PENELOPE CRUZ, CARMEN MAURA, CHUS LAMPREAVE, YOHANNA COBO, LOLA DUENAS, BIANCA PORTILLO
Volver (Spain)
Roles: Family and friends whose lives are affected by the ghost of a dead mother.
Oscar: A nomination for Best Actress in 2007 (Cruz).
Status: Cruz has found a newly elevated status as an actress with her Oscar nomination for this film. She has since worked with Woody Allen and is working once more with Pedro Almodovar, who directed this film. Maura is a widely respected and multi-awarded actress. Lampreave is also multi-awarded and is an Almodovar regular. Cobo is an actively working young actress. Duenas and Portillo are both awarded actresses on stage and in film.
2007
DO-YEON JEON
Secret Sunshine (Korea)
Role: A woman who lives in utter tragedy.
Oscar: None.
Status: Jeon started in television but has since become a highly regarded and multi-awarded film actress in her native Korea.
2008
SANDRA CORVELONI
Linha de Passe (Brazil)
Role: A pregnant single mother of four sons with different fathers, working as a maid for a middle-class family.
Oscar: None
Status: Corveloni began her career as a theater actress. This is only her third film and she has yet to make another.
Statistics:
-Of the 68 actresses who have won this award, 15 are French or were from films produced wholly or partly by France. Other strong performers: USA (12), United Kingdom (11), and Italy (8).
-Of these 72 winning performances, only 18 (25%) were also nominated for the Oscar for either Best Actress or Best Supporting Actress. Of these, four won the Oscar.
-Of the 17 actresses who both won in Cannes and were nominated for the same performance, nine are American or were born in the USA. Four are British or were born in the UK.
-Of the 72 winning performances, six are film debuts. Of these, only one (Lee Grant's) was also nominated for an Oscar.
Images from: IMDb
