Cannes, May 28:

Individuals struggling with death and enormous moral questions dominated the story lines of the films shown in the world’s leading movie-industry fair, as the 60th annual Cannes Film Festival was closed on May 28.

Romanian director Cristian Mungiu’s “4 Luni, 3 Saptamini si 2 Zile” (4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days), won Cannes’ coveted Palme d’Or (Golden Palm) for his powerful depiction of a young woman’s attempt to arrange an illegal abortion during the final days of communist dictator Nicolae Ceausescu’s rule.

“People have a tendency of avoiding , thinking about what they don’t like,” said Mungiu at a press conference following his film’s screening in Cannes. “People have to think of their consequences.”

After being told by his wife during a family vacation that she is expecting a child by another man, the husband in Russian director Andre Zvyagintsev’s “Izgnanie” (The Banishment) tells his unfaithful spouse that the price of his forgiveness is for her to dispose of the baby.But his plan goes tragically wrong, leaving the husband, played by Russian actor Konstantin Lavronenko, who won the festival’s best-actor award, battling to cope with the consequences.

Coping with loss and grieving was another major theme at this year’s festival, with Korea’s Jeon Do-yeon named best actress for her role in “Secret Sunshine” by leading Korean director Lee Chang-dong, in which she played a woman attempting to find peace after suffering a terrible personal tragedy.

Jeon, told the press conference: “I was not able to prepare for the film. These are feelings I could never imagine.”

The Cannes jury, presided over by British director Stephen Frears, awarded Japanese director Naomi Kawase the prestigious Grand Prix for “Mogari no mori” (The Mourning Forest). “Mogari no mori” is about the relationship between senile 70-year-old Shigeki, portrayed by leading Japanese actor Shigeki Uda, and 27-year-old caretaker Machiko, played by Machiko Ono.