Deauville 2011: 'Take Shelter' Wins Grand Prize

After a rainy week in Normandy, Olivier Assayas’ jury chose to Take Shelter as Jeff Nichols’ film took the grand prize at the Deauville American Film Festival whose 37th edition wrapped on Saturday night.

“He’s a young filmmaker who is working on his third movie, write admirably well for the cinema and is a wonderful actors’ director,” Assayas said of Nichols after awarding the prize. Nichols’ next film Mud will star Matthew McConaughey and Reese Witherspoon.

Assayas and his feature film jury gave their Jury Prize to Matthew Gordon’s The Dynamiter.

The International Critics prize and the Cartier Revelation prize both went to Tony Kaye’s Detachment.

This year’s competition selection featured 14 films, nine of which were titles from first-time directors.

Take Shelter stars Michael Shannon and Jessica Chastain, who won this year’s “New Hollywood” award at the start of the festival.

The film will be released in France on Dec. 7 through Ad Vitam. After the colorful ceremony, Deauville’s audience was treated to black and white mute film The Artist which premiered at the Festival de Cannes in May.