Greek director Vasilis Kekatos wins Palme d’Or at Cannes Film Festival

Greek film director Vasilis Kekatos won the Palme d'Or for best short film at the 72nd Cannes Festival for "The Distance Between Us and the Sky".

His film managed to stand out among the 11 films that competed for the coveted prize in a total of 4,240 films from around the world.

"The director is the first Greek to win the award for best short film at Cannes and his film managed to stand out among 11 films that competed, out of a total of 4,240 films submitted," the Greek culture and sports ministry and Deputy Digital Policy, Communications and Media Minister Lefteris Kretsos said.

The film also came away with the Queer Palm for Best Short Film for exciting performances and good direction.

In an earlier announcement, Kretsos noted that this was the second successive time that a Greek film returned from Cannes with an award, following a win by Jacqueline Lentzou at the Cannes' Critics Week in 2018 for her film ‘Hector Malo: The Last Day of the Year’.

"The award for Vasilis Kekatos makes us all proud. In recent years, Greek creative artists and producers are making their presence felt, winning important awards, promoting a new narrative for our country that is based on talent and the vision of young and creative people. The growth and further support of the domestic audiovisual industry are essential steps for further successes to follow," Kretsos said.