While we wait for the Palme d'Or announcement...

Soon enough, we'll know the identities of the honorees, but first thing's first...here are my updated predictions for the big prizes, since they've been requested of me. Do note that I'm mixing in the buzz I've heard with some of my own theories and just a little bit of guesswork as well. Bombs away:

Palme d'Or: The Artist (Alternate: Drive)
Grand Prix: We Need to Talk About Kevin (Alternate: The Tree of Life)
Jury Prize: This Must Be The Place (Alternate: Sleeping Beauty)
Best Director: Lynne Ramsey for We Need to Talk About Kevin (Alternate: Nicolas Winding Refn for Drive)
Best Actor: Jean Dujardin for The Artist (Alternate: Ryan Gosling for Drive)
Best Actress: Kirsten Dunst for Melancholia (Alternate: Tilda Swinton for We Need to Talk About Kevin)
Best Screenplay: The Artist (Alternate: The Tree of Life)

Now, for the already announced winners, via Variety:

Aki Kaurismaki's ''Le Havre,'' Pierre Schoeller's ''The Minister'' and Jeff Nichols' ''Take Shelter'' shared awards Saturday at Cannes from the Fipresci Intl. Federation of Film Critics.
Also announced Saturday, Cannes' Ecumenical Jury awarded its main Prix to Italian Paolo Sorrentino's Sean Penn starrer ''This Must Be the Place.''

Fipresci plaudits go to one outstanding film in Cannes Competition and Un Certain Regard and a third in either Directors' Fortnight or Critics' Week.

Cannes Competition contender ''Le Havre'' finds Kaurismaki at the top of his deadpan comedy game, delivering a crowd-pleasing tale toplining Kaurismaki regular Andre Wilms as a shoeshine who takes an African stowaway under his wing.

Cannes Competition favorite among international critics, at least through Friday, ''Le Havre'' is sold by The Match Factory, and produced by Sputnik, France's Pyramide Prods. and Germany's Pandora Film Prod.

''Minister'''s Fipresci nod as best film in Un Certain Regard comes as something of a surprise: Schoeller's follow-up to ''Versailles,'' it garnered good reviews as an convincing description of the all-consuming soul-destroying grind of high public office - here France's transport minister, played by Olivier Gourmet.

But the subject is far fresher in France , where politicians have traditionally gone about their business in private - than in the U.S. or U.K. context.

Defending the award, French Fipresci jury member Laurent Atnin said ''The Minister'' was totally different from Nicolas Sarkozy portrait ''The Conquest,'' also at Cannes.

''The Minister'' is ''a surprise from the start to the end, a psychological portrait of a fictional political figure which confirms Schoeller after 'Versailles' as a very promising talent,'' Atnin said.

Acquired by Sony Pictures Classics before its upbeat reception at Sundance, psychological thriller ''Take Shelter'' adds the Fipresci plaudit to a growing prize trawl, including Thursday's Cannes Critics' Week Grand Prix.

Playing Competition Thursday, ''Place'' features a dominating performance by Penn as an aged rock star turned Nazi hunter.

Ecumenical Special Mentions went to ''Le Havre'' and Lebanese Nadine Labaki's Un Certain Regard player ''Where Do We Go Now,'' her follow-up to ''Caramel.''

Co-produced and sold internationally by Pathe, ''Now'' turns on the Muslim and Christian womenfolk in a village who band together to defuse sectarian violence between their hothead men.

A ''real revolt'' against continuing conflict in Lebanon, Labaki said after receiving the mention, ''Now'' is a ''cry from the heart.''

The Ecumenical jury mention would help its message reach wider international audiences, she added.

-Joey's Two Cents: Those predictions above aren't too dissimilar from what they looked like when the festival started, which is a testament to the quality of the slate overall...thoughts?