AceShowbiz - Ali Abbasi's Border has picked up the coveted Un Certain Regard prize at the Cannes Film Festival.

The panel, headed by Benicio Del Toro, also named Ukraine's Sergei Loznitsa as Best Director and commended Joao Salaviza and Renee Nader Messora for their film The Dead and the Others.

Abbasi's Swedish horror film follows the fortunes of a customs officer who develops an odd attraction to a suspect she's investigating.

Announcing the Un Certain Regard winner on Friday, May 18, Del Toro said, "We as a jury feel that out of the 2,000 films that were considered by the fest, that the 18 films that we saw were in their own way big winners, but we had to pick the five movies that moved us as a group."

Salaviza and Messora's The Dead and the Others claimed the jury prize, and director Salaviza dedicated the win to the "indigenous people who live under threat". He also invited two people from the film, who live in the Amazon rainforest, to join him onstage.

Loznitsa claimed his award for Donbass.

Meanwhile, Meryem Benm'Barek-Aloisi took home the Best Screenwriting honours for Sofia, and Victor Polster, who plays a transgender teen in Girl, picked up the Best Acting award prize. His director, Lukas Dhont, collected his award, explaining the 16-year-old was "in school" and couldn't make it to Cannes.

Filmmaker Gaspar Noe is also celebrating at Cannes after claiming the Directors Fortnight top prize for Climax on Thursday night, May 17. The main awards will be handed out on Saturday night.