The 66th Cannes Film Festival drew its curtain down on Sunday evening after 12 days' competition with French-Tunisian director Abdellatif Kechiche's "La Vie d'Adele - Chapitre 1&2" ("Blue is the Warmest Colour") taking the prestigious Palme d'Or.

French director Abdellatif Kechiche (C), cast members Lea Seydoux (2nd L) and Adele Exarchopoulos (2nd R) of film "La Vie d'Adele" arrive to attend the closing ceremony of the 66th Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, France, on May 26, 2013. The film is awarded Palme d'Or in Cannes on Sunday.

The film, starring Adele Exarchopoulos and Lea Seydoux, is a three-hour love story based on a graphic novel by Julie Maroh about a teenage girl who falls in love with a slightly older woman. It's about sexual awakening, heartbreak, and self-discovery.

The runner-up award, the Grand Prix, was awarded to "Inside Llewyn Davis" directed by the Coen brothers, the winner of the 1991 Palme d'Or, who were absent from the closing ceremony.

The Jury Prize went to Japanese director Hirokazu Kore-Eda for "Like Father, Like Son."

Mexico's Amat Escalante won the best director prize for his film "Heli." Hollywood veteran Bruce Dern took the best actor prize for his performance in "Nebraska" and Argentine-born French Berenice Bejo was awarded the best actress prize for her role in "The Past."

The 43-year-old Chinese director Jia Zhangke scooped the prize for best screenplay for "Tian Zhu Ding" ("A Touch of Sin"), which mirrors the life of the contemporary Chinese society.

The awards were decided by a nine-member jury led by U.S. filmmaker Steven Spielberg, joined by Australian actress Nicole Kidman and Oscar-winning director Ang Lee among others, after reviewing 20 films in competition for the Cannes festival's highest honor.

In 2012, the Palme d'Or was awarded to "Amour" ("Love"), a French-language drama film written and directed by Austrian filmmaker Michael Haneke.

As one of the world's most prestigious film functions, this year's Cannes festival opened on May 15 with Australian director Baz Luhrmann's lavish film "The Great Gatsby" starring Leonardo DiCaprio. In 12 days, nearly 80 movies were showed at the festival.

The 66th edition of the festival was marked by strong featuring of American movies with five films competing for the coveted Palme d'Or, including "Behind the Candelabra" directed by Steven Sodergergh, the winner of the top prize in 1989.

The English-language French-produced crime film "Zulu," directed by Jerome Salle, premiered after the closing ceremony.

Source: Xinhuanet