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A better selection than in the recent past, gridlock on the Croisette and a ridiculous scandal that should not have been. This year’s selecting and programming committee ought to be applauded for a number of reasons.

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The 68th edition of the Cannes Film Festival came to a close with the customary Palmares ceremony in which awards were handed. The jury headed, for the first time ever by a sibling president team of Joel and Ethan Coen awarded the coveted Palme D’Or to Jacques Audiard for his Paris set immigrant drama Dheepan, a drama charting the experiences of an ex Tamil rebel from Sri Lanka (Antonythasan Jesuthasan) making a new life in France.

The HFPA’s Jack Tewksbury compiles some of the choicest quotes from classic stars.

JIA Zhang-Ke is a Cannes festival veteran. He was here last in 2013 winning the screenwriting award with A Touch of Sin, a fascinating narrative woven through the river landscapes and provincial back roads of his native China.

Award-winning Filipino director, Brillante Mendoza, 54, is back in Cannes for the fourth time. “This is like home to me,” the University of Santo Tomas alum told us when we interviewed him at the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) booth at the International Village along the Boulevard de la Croissette.

Nothing is more difficult than guessing what a festival jury thinks. Compared to the Palme d’Or, predicting Oscar winners is a walk in the park.

One of the most talked about films at the 68th Cannes Film Festival is Pixar’s animated film, Inside Out, which is set in the mind of a young girl, where her emotions such as Joy, Anger, Fear, Sadness and Disgust run amok. The out-of-competition film is the second Pixar film to appear in Cannes.

A scandal that never happened and one big charity night. It’s not surprising that on day 9 of the festival exhaustion sets in among critics and audiences alike.

As part of its commitment to support deserving charities the HFPA is to donate $200,000 to three organizations helping the aid efforts in Nepal. $70,000 will go to the Save the Children Fund and $65,000 each to Oxfam America and CARE, a humanitarian organization fighting global poverty.