Crash wins top prize at Deauville festival

FRANCE - The Deauville Film Festival today awarded its top prize to Crash, a tale of disparate, disconnected Los Angeles residents whose paths cross over a 36-hour period, the Associated Press (AP) reported today.

The movie, the feature-film debut by TV veteran Paul Haggis, has a star-laden ensemble cast including Sandra Bullock, Don Cheadle, Brendan Fraser, Matt Dillon, Thandie Newton, Ryan Phillippe and Jennifer Esposito.

Two films shared the jury prize: Keane by Lodge Kerrigan and On the Outs by Lori Silverbush and Michael Skolnik.

The festival at the Normandy resort, which started September 2, is a European showcase for mainly American movies. French director Alain Corneau presided over the nine-member jury, the AP report said.