From the IHT: At the closing ceremony Sunday of the 61st Cannes film festival, the red carpet was overrun by teenagers, the young stars of the Palme d'Or winner, "The Class" ("Entre les Murs").

Directed by Laurent Cantet, the film follows a year in the life of a French schoolteacher working in a tough multi-cultural section of Paris. Based on a best-selling autobiographical novel by François Begaudeau, who plays the main character, "The Class" is brought alive by the performances of the non-professional actors playing the students.

Cantet brought them onstage with him to accept the prize, and they brought the entire Palais des Festivals to its feet. The president of the jury, Sean Penn, said that the award for "The Class" was one of two unanimous verdicts. The other was the prize for best actor, given to Benicio Del Toro, who played the title in Steven Soderbergh's "Che."