"I want to dedicate the prize to the young people in Turkey and those who lost their lives during the last year," said Ceylan.
For the second year in a row, Cannes awarded its top honor to a film running more than three hours. The French lesbian coming-of-age tale "Blue Is the Warmest Color" won the Palme in 2013; this year, the jury, headed by Jane Campion, opted for Ceylan's meditative character study about a retired actor running a hotel and lording over his village tenants.
"I was scared. I said, 'I'm going to need a toilet break,'" said Campion backstage about the three hour, 16 minute running time of "Winter Sleep." But she said the film "took me in," calling it "masterful" and "ruthless."
Accepting the award, Ceylan, who has twice won Cannes' second-highest honor, the Grand Prix, noted it was the 100th anniversary of Turkish cinema.
"It's a beautiful coincidence," he said. "Winter Sleep" is the second film by a Turkish director to win the Palme d'Or following Yilmaz Guney and Serif Goren's "The Way" in 1982.
Julianne Moore won best actress for her performance in David Cronenberg's dark Hollywood satire "Maps to the Stars." Screenwriter Bruce Wagner accepted the award for Moore and cheered the town he savagely parodies in the film: "Vive Los Angeles. Vive David Cronenberg. Vive Julianne Moore. And vive la France," he said.
Best actor went to Timothy Spall, who stars as British painter J.M.W. Turner in Mike Leigh's biopic "Mr. Turner." He spoke emotionally about a long, humble career that has often gone without such notice.
