Provocative US writer and director Michael Moore was basking in the glow of winning the Cannes film festival's top prize

Provocative US writer and director Michael Moore was basking in the glow of winning the Cannes film festival's top prize for his virulently anti-Bush documentary, "Fahrenheit 9/11". The film, which savages US President George W. Bush for his invasion of Iraq after the September 11, 2001 attacks on New York and Washington, was awarded the Palme d'Or in a stunning announcement that brought immediate international attention. Quentin Tarantino and the other members of this year's Cannes jury were to explain their reasons for giving the film the the controversial honour. It was the first documentary to win the Palme d'Or in the award's 29-year history. Moore, who has accused the White House of seeking to block the film's release in the United States, had to wait until a long standing ovation died down to accept the prize. He dedicated the trophy to his 22-year-old daughter and "to all the children in America, and in Iraq and around the world who have suffered from our actions". The documentary, which got its worldwide premiere at the Cannes festival last Monday, examines the period from Bush's 2000 election, through the September 11 attacks and the wars on Afghanistan and Iraq.