In what could be the biggest awards show slip-up since the Oscars’ Best Picture gaffe in 2017, Spike Lee accidentally and prematurely revealed the winner of the Cannes’ Palme d’Or at the onset the film festival’s closing ceremony Saturday, the Hollywood Reporter writes.
Lee — in his role as this year’s Cannes jury president — was asked by the presenter, “Can you tell me which prize is the first prize?” Typically, the announcement of winners would lead up to the Palme d’Or, the final award of the evening.
Lee, however, nonchalantly announced as the award ceremony’s very first winner, “The film that won the Palme d’Or, Titane,” accidentally revealing early that Julia Ducournau-directed film had won the festival’s most prestigious prize.
On a frôlé la catastrophe et une annonce un peu prématurée de la Palme d’or 😱 #Cannes2021 pic.twitter.com/8uBfYl2orI
— CANAL+ (@canalplus) July 17, 2021
Fellow juror Melanie Laurent reached for Lee and shouted ‘No!’ after the director accidentally announced the wrong award, while other jurors laughed or buried their head in their hands. Amid the confusion, Lee shouted “English!” to alleviate the awkwardness of the moment, but the damage was done: Later, Titane would formally win the Palme d’Or.
Other winners at this year’s Cannes include Leos Carax for Best Director for the Sparks-penned musical Annette, Asghar Farhadi’s A Hero and Juho Kuosmanen’s Compartment No. 6 receiving the Grand Prix and Caleb Landry Jones winning Best Actor for Nitram.