23rd Philadelphia Film Festival: Days 7 and 8

It was a dreary, miserable day before I went downtown for a couple of evening showings on the festival's 7th day. I had skipped screenings on days 5 and 6 because I have a legit job where film criticism isn't my primary focus. It's a nice hobby, though.

(Read about days 1-4 of the festival here)

Anywho, one of the films I was most looking forward to, and the one most difficult to squeeze into my schedule, was this year's Cannes jury prize winner "Goodbye to Language" - which tied with "Mommy", another PFF selection. Later on I would be checking out the German film "Stations of the Cross", and while the first few days were full of disappointment, day 7 was a total highlight.

Day 7- Visual Stimulants

The rain was a problem. Parking downtown can be a total asshole, and with the rain I figured I was going to be showered with no possibilities. Luckily, I found a spot about two blocks over with only 7 minutes before the screening started for "Goodbye to Language". I got a good seat and honkered down for whatever the hell was about to come my way.

Cannes Jury Awards 'Winter Sleep' Top Prize

Nuri Bilge Ceylan sits at the edge of the stage holding his Palme d'Or for 'Winter Sleep'

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At over three hours long, and one of 18 films in competition, "Winter Sleep" might have been the longest film to show at the 67th Cannes Film Festival, but the jury didn't get a winter's nap watching it, showering the film with the coveted Palme d'Or.

The jury, headed by New Zealand writer/director Jane Campion and including Sofia Coppola, Gael Garcia Bernal and Willem Dafoe, awarded Turkish auteur, and Cannes staple, Nuri Bilge Ceylan with his first Palme during the closing ceremony at the Grand Théâtre Lumière Saturday night.

The 55-year-old director dedicated his Palme to those who have lost their lives in Turkey over the past year due to political conflict. "Winter Sleep" received rave reviews from its only official screening at the festival.