Nine agonizing years after Morvern Callar, Lynne Ramsay returned to Cannes with another acclaimed literary adaptation. Radically reimagining the nature-or-nurture novel, Ramsay—and star Tilda Swinton—transform the text into a chilling film rightfully venerated for its unforgettable visual language.

Fish Tank kickstarted Michael Fassbender’s acting career, but it was newcomer Katie Jarvis who stole the show with her raw and volatile portrayal of a teenager’s search for transcendence amid poverty. This beautiful, explosive portrait of innocence lost won Andrea Arnold the Cannes Jury Prize.