The prestigious Cannes Film Festival's closing ceremony took place on Saturday, with a French thriller landing the event's top award. 

Women win big as Justine Triet takes Palme d'Or

This year's Cannes festival was marked by a record number of female directors, with seven of the 21 films in the competition made by women, including newcomers and long-established auteurs.

Justine Triet, 44, claimed the main prize, with "Anatomy of a Fall" awarded the coveted Palme d'Or for best film. 

Triet is the third female director to win the prestigious Palme d'Or. She prevailed over veteran directors like Hirokazu Kore-eda, Ken Loach and Wim Wenders, all of whom have won at least one Palme d'Or.

The film stars German actress Sandra Hüller as a writer who tries to prove her innocence after she is accused of her husband's death.

In her acceptance speech, Triet blasted the French government over the recent protests against president Emmanuel Macron.

"The country suffered from historic protests over the reform of the pension system. These protests were denied... repressed in a shocking way," she said. 

Best actor and actress awards

In the best actress category, Turkey's Merve Dizdar got the nod for the film "About Dry Grasses," the latest from festival favorite Nuri Bilge Ceylan. 

The best actor nod went to Japan's Koji Yakusho for "Perfect Days," a film by German director Wim Wenders about the story of a Tokyo toilet cleaner.

The Grand Prix, the second-highest prize after the Palme d'Or, went to British director Jonathan Glazer's "Zone of Interest," about a family living next to Auschwitz.

Meanwhile, the award for best director went to Vietnamese-born French filmmaker Tran Anh Hung for "The Pot-au-Feu", a foodie love story, set in a 19th century French gourmet château.

jcg/msh (AP, AFP, Reuters)