This lot will be auctioned on Thursday, November 3rd. The auction will begin at 3:00PM GMT and lots are sold sequentially via live auctioneer; tune in to the live streaming broadcast on auction day to follow the pace. Note other lots in the auction may close on Friday, November 4th; Saturday, November 5th; or Sunday, November 6th.

Lindsay Anderson's Grand Prix du Festival International du Film, now known as the Palme d'Or - the highest prize of the Cannes Film Festival - awarded for best movie in 1969 for if….

if…. was Lyndsay Anderson's controversial satire on life in an English boys boarding school, starring Malcolm McDowell in the role of Mick Travis. It is still regarded as one of the best British movies of all time.

The prestigious Cannes award, unheard of in private ownership, was subsequently awarded to a young Irish filmmaker in London in the 1970s as a first prize in a competition for amateur short films. His film, A.R.F.A. (Automated Robotronic Footballing Assembly), was filmed at a local football stadium and shot in Super 8. Given the notorious issues with sound recording on those cameras, a unique way of syncing sound and pictures was developed. The sound was recorded separately on reel-to-reel and added manually to the footage, matching the sound by slowing the projector spools by hand - quite the technical achievement.

The Palme d'Or is made from terracotta and is inscribed "1969 Cannes festival international du film". The legendary golden palm itself is made of yellow metal, is stamped with French strike marks and is missing a frond. The leaf was originally designed by Parisian jeweller Lucienne Lazon from a sketch by Jean Cocteau, who drew his inspiration from the "Promenade de la Croisette" in Canne, which is lined with tall trees. The stem of the golden leaf finishes in the shape of a heart.

There is a small chip to the top edge and the thumb, on the open palm, is missing. There is a hole at the base where the award was previously displayed. Dimensions: 15 x 9.5 x 5 cm (6" x 3 3/4" x 2")

Estimate: £10,000 - 15,000 Ω

View all lots from IF.... (1968)