CANNES (France) - AUSTRIAN director Michael Haneke's pre-Nazi drama 'The White Ribbon' picked up a French prize at Cannes on Sunday as the jury deliberated on the winner of the festival's coveted Palme d'Or.

Haneke's chilling black-and-white portrait of a Protestant German village on the eve of World War I has been widely acclaimed by critics and is a front-runner among the 20 films in competition for the top Cannes trophy - to be announced later on Sunday.

PARIS - A PLANNED sale of costumes, books, art and a battered old hat left by France's Marcel Marceau, one of the world's most famous mime artists, has caused an uproar among fans fighting to keep his legacy intact.

CANNES - 'COCO' Chanel's serial affairs with illustrious lovers have long been set in print, and Cannes curtains its film festival Sunday with a fact-or-fiction tale on her affair with Igor Stravinsky.