Mads Mikkelsen has become the first Dane ever to win best actor honours at the Cannes Film Festival.
Mikkelsen, a veteran of Danish film best known internationally for playing Le Chiffre in the 2006 James Bond Film ‘Casino Royale’, was awarded the accolade this evening for his role in ‘The Hunt’ (Jagten), a psychological thriller directed by fellow Dane Thomas Vinterberg.
Danish film was hoping for a double in at Cannes this year, as ‘The Hunt’, the story of a man whose life unravels after being falsely accused of sexually abusing a child, was also in the running in the Palme d’Or, the festival's award for best film.
Mikkelsen dedicated his win to Vinterberg, who was back at Cannes 14 years after his acclaimed incest drama ‘The Celebration’ (Festen).
‘Eighty-two percent of this film belongs to Thomas Vinterberg,” he said accepting the award.