'The Square' wins Palme d'Or at Cannes

“The Square”, a Swedish movie about the curator of a museum filled with grotesquely pretentious conceptual art, has won the top prize at the Cannes Film Festival on Sunday.

The film directed by Ruben Ostlund beat 18 other films for the festival’s top prize.

Critics have hailed the movie as “high-wire cinema” that veers between comedy and thriller with moments of pure surrealism.

The French film BMP or Beats per Minute directed by Robin Campillo, which had been favourite to take the top prize had to settle for for second place taking the Grand Prize of the jury.

BMP tells the story of an activist group Act Up and the lack of government support for AIDS

The best actor award went to seemingly unimpressed Joaquim Phoenix but perhaps he just hadn’t realised he’d won.

The award was for his portrayal of a psychologically damaged hitman in “ You Were Never Really Here by British director Lynne Ramsay.

One major award, that of best Director, went to Sofia Coppola for “The beguiled”.