Students, teachers get an A for acting

French director Laurent Cantet (R) surrounded by students holding the award for their film The Class.

A DRAMA about a junior high school class that used real students and real teachers has won the highest honor, the Palme d'Or, at this year's Cannes Film Festival.

The Class is based on an autobiographical novel by French writer Francois Begaudeau. It was praised for its real-life portrayal of what happens in the classroom between teachers and students.

"The film we wanted to make had to be a reflection of French society - multiple, many-faceted, complex," said the director, Laurent Cantet.

The movie was shot in a raw, improvisational style to chronicle the drama that unfolds over one school year. The decision of the nine-member Cannes jury was unanimous, said Sean Penn, who headed the panel.

Other winners

Here's a quick look at three other prize-winning films screening this year that promise plenty of buzz:

Gomorrah

Prize: Grand Prize runner-up

A movie about the Italian mafia, based on a best-selling book. Gomorrah is shot in a flat realist style and follows a web of characters, from teenage gunmen to a Naples-area cashier to a wealthy businessman behind illegal toxic waste dumping.

Che

Prize: Best actor

Benicio Del Toro won best actor for his portrayal of Che Guevara in the two part epic, Che, which chronicles the life of the revolutionary. "I wanted to illustrate the process by which a man born with an unshakable will discovers his own ability to inspire and lead others," said director Steven Soderbergh.

Three Monkeys

Prize: Best Director

After hitting a man with his car at night, a politician bribes his driver to claim responsibility for the accident. But while the man is in prison, the politician seduces the driver's wife. Her son sees it all. Turkish director Nuri Bilge Ceylan shows why he's a master of relationship-driven movies.