The 79th Cannes Film Festival concludes on Saturday with the awarding of the Palme d’Or, as an unusually open field leaves the jury with a wide range of contenders for cinema’s top prize.

This year’s edition has drawn a mixed critical response, with Hollywood largely absent and several entries failing to generate strong global momentum.

While Cannes typically sets the tone for the international awards season, the festival has produced limited consensus favourites.

Despite that, several films have stood out with strong receptions, including Pawel Pawlikowski’s “Fatherland,” Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s “All of a Sudden,” Andrey Zvyagintsev’s “Minotaur,” and Cristian Mungiu’s “Fjord.”

A late contender also emerged on the penultimate day, when Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi’s Spanish drama “The Black Ball” received a notably enthusiastic response.

The film spans three generations of gay men and was among the most talked-about screenings in the closing stages of the festival.

The nine-member jury, chaired by South Korean filmmaker Park Chan-wook and including Demi Moore, Chloé Zhao and Stellan Skarsgård, will decide the winner behind closed doors.

Any of the 22 films in competition remains eligible for the top prize.

Winners are typically informed in advance of the closing ceremony, though not of the specific award they will receive.

The festival also presents honours, including best actor, best actress and the Grand Prix.

A notable trend in recent years has been Neon’s strong run with Palme d’Or winners, including the last six recipients, among them “Anora,” which later went on to win the Oscar for best picture.

Separately, the festival confirmed that honorary Palme d’Or recipient Barbra Streisand will not attend the closing ceremony due to a knee injury, though she is still expected to be honoured.