17. Hot For Controversy (2004)
What happened? The festival presented the Palme D’or to Michael Moore for his Bush-baiting conspiracy doc Farenheit 9/11
Why it’s great: Moore’s film was the first documentary to win top honours at Cannes for nearly 50 years. A year after America’s most recent invasion of Iraq and amid frosty Franco-American relations, the award was not only a politically charged choice - it was the diplomatic equivalent of blowing a massive raspberry over the Atlantic.
16. No Cannes Do (1968)
What happened? The festival grinds to a halt as directors Louis Malle and Jean-Luc Godard lead a protest to support the revolutionary agitations in Paris.
Why it’s great: Because the whole thing is so amazingly French. A series of men are packed onto a cramped theatre stage, scrabbling to grab the mic from one another to say something of revolutionary importance. Every statement, regardless of content, is greeted by a chorus of boos.
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