Lesbian Love Story: Cannes Film Festival 2013 Big Winner

Blue is the Warmest Colour, an intimate lesbian love story about two young French women, has won the Palme d’Or for best film at the Cannes Film Festival 2013.

It has attracted attention for its explicit sex scenes as well as the acclaimed performances of actresses Adele Exarchopoulos and Lea Seydoux.

Hollywood veteran Bruce Dern won best actor for his performance in Nebraska.

French actress Berenice Bejo, known for silent film The Artist, won best actress for her role in The Past.

The family drama was made by Iranian director Asghar Farhadi as the follow-up to his Oscar-nominated 2011 drama A Separation.

The winners were picked from the 20 films in competition at the festival and were named at the event’s closing ceremony on Sunday.

Blue is the Warmest Colour, a three-hour coming-of-age movie in which Exarchopoulos plays a 15-year-old who falls in love with an older woman, played by Seydoux, won rave reviews in Cannes.

The film, directed by Abdellatif Kechiche, was described as “epic yet intimate” by The Guardian.

But it also shocked some critics. Variety magazine said it contained “the most explosively graphic lesbian sex scenes in recent memory”.

The Hollywood Reporter said the “sprawling drama” would “raise eyebrows” as it crossed the barrier “between performance and the real deal”.

Blue is the Warmest Colour prevented US film-makers the Coen brothers from repeating their Palme d’Or success of 1991, when they won for Barton Fink.

Their latest film Inside Llewyn Davis, about the 1960s New York folk scene, won this year’s Grand Prix, effectively the runners-up prize.

Mexico’s Amat Escalante, who made brutal drama Heli about the country’s drugs war, was something of a surprise choice for the best director award.

This year’s jury was chaired by US director Steven Spielberg, who was joined by Life of Pi director Ang Lee, actress Nicole Kidman and Oscar-winner Christoph Waltz.

The other judges were We Need To Talk About Kevin film-maker Lynne Ramsay, French actor Daniel Auteuil, Romanian director Cristian Mungiu, Japanese director Naomi Kawase and Bollywood star Vidya Balan.

Watch video: Blue is the Warmest Color (scene 1/2)

Blue is the Warmest Color (scene 2/2)