Director Oliver Hermanus's Skoonheid (Beauty), won the Queer Palm award. The film was featured in the Un Certain Regard cateory.

Skoonheid is about Francois, a middle age family man from the Free State, struggling to suppress his latent sexual desires.

He develops an unhealthy and destructive obsession with his friend's 22-year old son.

Francois, portrayed by Deon Lotz was 'ecstatic' that the film had won the award.

'It gives us wonderful recognition as a film and for South Africa's growing film industry,' he said.

French critic and president of the jury that awarded the Queer Palm, Elizabeth Quin, said, "We were struck and marked by this film about self-hate, homopobia and racism".

Oliver Hermanus

Hermanus has won acclaim with his previous film Shirley Adams which won 3 SAFTA Awards last year. South Africans will have the oppotunity to see Skoonheid on the big screen in the near future.