CANNES, FRANCE - JULY 17: Julia Ducournau poses with the Palme d'Or 'Best Movie Award' for 'Titane' during the closing ceremony of the 74th annual Cannes Film Festival on July 17, 2021 in Cannes, France. (Photo by Stephane Cardinale - Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images)
Cover Julia Ducournau becomes the second woman to win a Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival (Photo: Stephane Cardinale - Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images)

With 'Titane' taking home the coveted Palme d'Or, director Julia Ducournau becomes the second female director to win the top prize in the festival's 74-year history

There's plenty of show-stopping moments at the recently-concluded Cannes Film Festival whether it's the stylish outfits, glittering jewellery pieces or the exciting movie lineup. But there's nothing more historic than French filmmaker Julia Ducournau making history as the only second female director to take home the Palme d'Or in the festival's 74-year history.

The jury presided by Spike Lee—who also makes history as the first Black man to head the Cannes jury—awarded the top prize to Ducournau's noir thriller, Titane. The closing ceremony itself was memorable as Lee accidentally announced the Palme d'Or winner early on.

The award-winning movie has been described as "the most shocking film of 2021" by the BBC for its depictions of sex, violence and body horror, making it a bold choice for the top prize—as is holding the film festival during the pandemic.

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But perhaps Titane's shocking theme might not come as a surprise since Ducournau also helmed the movie Raw (2016), another film that falls under the body horror genre and one that also premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in 2016.

It's also worth noting that Raw, Ducournau's first feature film, is what catapulted her into the spotlight. Ducournau's prior film, Grave (2016), is also another body horror shocker.

With Ducournau now with a Palme d'Or, she joins New Zealand writer-director Jane Campion—who won for her period drama, The Piano in 1993—as the two only female directors to win the top prize.

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