Cannes hands out best actress award to trans star Karla Sofia Gascon as she wins ‘joint female performance’: Artist tells critics about her decision to ‘change, you bas****s’ as she collects trophy

Actress Karla Sofía Gascón became the first trans woman to receive the Best Actress award at the Cannes Film Festival.

Gascón, 52, from Madrid, who starred in Jacques Audiard’s musical comedy Emilia Pérez, gave an acceptance speech on behalf of the film’s female cast, which won the award for best supporting actress on Saturday night.

The Spanish-language film’s female stars included Zoe Saldana, 45, Selena Gomez, 31, and Adriana Paz, 44, who were not present at the closing night of the prestigious awards ceremony on the French Riviera. .

Emilia Pérez, considered the film of Cannes most divisive movie, centers on a lawyer who is recruited by a Mexican drug trafficker in order to help him undergo a sex change operation to become a woman.

During her acceptance speech, a teary-eyed Gascon said: “To every trans person who suffers every damn day of hate… This is for you,” The Telegraph reported.

Gascon is the first trans woman to be awarded the title of Best Actress at Cannes.

The Best Actress award was awarded to Gascon and her co-stars Zoe Saldana, Selena Gomez and Adriana Paz together.

Selena Gomez reacts to winning the award for best actress alongside her co-stars Emilia Pérez.

Addressing potential critics in his speech, he said: ‘We all have the opportunity to change for the better, to be better people. If you have made us suffer, it is time for you to change too,’ he added.

Commenting on the jury’s decision to divide the best actress award into four parts, the jury president Greta Gerwig said: ‘Women together – that’s something we wanted to honor when we gave this award. Each one of them stands out, but together they are transcendent.’

In addition to the Best Actress award, Emilia Pérez also won the Cannes Jury Prize.

It marked an unprecedented moment in which not one, but two awards were won, while awards are usually distributed.

Actresses Uma Thurman, Audrey Plaza and Emma Stone were also competing for the Best Actress award.

Last week, the film received a nine-minute ovation during its Cannes premiere.

Gomez, who was joined by her co-stars Saldana and Edgar Ramirez, was seen wiping away tears as the crowd cheered.

The actress was not present at the film festival’s closing night, but took to Instagram to celebrate her win.