Samsom and Delilah win at CANNES!

Warwick Thornton's first movie makes it BIG.

"Aboriginal director Warwick Thornton's powerful Samson and Delilah, tale of troubled young love in Alice Springs, was today awarded the prize for best first feature at the Cannes Film Festival."

More at http://www.facebook.com/ext/share.php?sid=100896860134&h=6Oh2m&u=Q9w9q&ref=nf

And don't miss the fine print: "There were few naysayers, however, when 87-year-old Alain Resnais received a special award for a career that includes such masterpieces as Night and Fog, Hiroshima Mon Amour and Last Year at Marienbad.

See 'Samson and Delilah' as soon as you can

It may not run for long on the commercial cinema outlets - it is a daunting yet necessary film. So, see it as soon as you can. I enjoyed it in as much as it spoke of contemporary social problems and humanity in the raw without preaching and without sensationalising. It also doesn't offer any of the usual pat answers. Samson and Delilah is realistic narrative understated and heartfelt - a strong mixture that brought tears of frustration to my eyes.

A review from http://www.thevine.com.au/entertainment/reviews/samson-and-delilah-_-movie-review.aspx ends with this true statement: Despite the flash of hope that Thornton [writer and director] gives you at the end, he isn't in the business of providing the kind of cathartic release you get from more conventional storytellers. He takes you into another world, but finds no obligation to make you comfortable there. He's made a tender film, and an honest one, but it's tough going. (ENDS)

We saw it at the Luna Cinema, Oxford Street, Leederville.

PS: There is a terrific review/essay on Samson and Delilah at http://sarsaparillalite.blogspot.com/2009/05/samson-and-delilah-extraordinary.html?showComment=1242006660000#c7457002165413510694