The Ecumenical Jury awarded its Prize to "Babel" by Alejandro Gonzáles Iñárittu and a Commendation to "Z odzysku" (Retrieval) by Slavomir Fabicki. Winner of the Golden Palm was Ken Loach's "The Wind That Shakes the Barley".
Our world relies on a seemingly global, immediate and comprehensive form of communication. But this is merely an illusion that breeds isolation, stereotype and fear of the "other" (person, culture, community, generation, gender,…). Babel shows that a true relationship can only be achieved by renouncing the control of everything in order to embrace one another's strengths and weaknesses.
"Z odzysku" shows that in a society where the power of money and violence seems to act as an irresistible attraction, happiness can only be achieved by other means. In the end, the hero, having lost everything but his dignity, finds the courage to risk his own life to find the ones that love him.