Films from Europe and Asia have taken the top prizes at the international film festival at Cannes in the south of France.

The festival's most prestigious award, the Palme D'Or, was won by the musical tragedy, Dancer in the Dark, directed by Lars von Trier from Denmark.

The film -- which tells the story of a Czech immigrant in rural America -- stars the Icelandic pop singer, Bjork, who won the Best Actress award.

The making of the film had been marked by much-publicised tensions between Bjork and the film's director.

The Best Actor prize went to Tony Leung for the Hong Kong film, In the Mood for Love.

The Grand Jury award went to Devils on the Doorstep, the story of a Chinese villager during the Japanese war-time occupation, by the Chinese director Jiang Wen.

Edward Yang was named Best Director for Yi Yi, a Taiwanese film about a businessman's mid-life crisis.

A special acting award was given to the entire cast of The Wedding, a Russian film directed by Pavel Lounguine.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service