Vancouver’s Lions Gate Films has entered into a partnership to distribute Cannes Palme d’Or winner Fahrenheit 9/11 in the United States this summer for Bob and Harvey Weinstein.

The Weinsteins have partnered with LGF and Jericho, NY-based IFC Films for the theatrical release of Michael Moore’s documentary, which dominated headlines at the 57th annual Cannes Film Festival in May. Pay-TV rights will be handled by Showtime, Lions Gate’s pay-TV partner. Capitalizing on the buzz it created at the fest, the movie is being fast-tracked for release June 25, near the peak of summer blockbuster season.

Negotiations for the film’s Canadian release are ongoing but at press time nothing had been announced. Odeon Films distributed Moore’s Bowling for Columbine.

The film, which offers a scathing review of President George W. Bush and his decision to invade Iraq, was personally acquired by the Weinsteins after Disney deemed it too politically hot for the Miramax division. The Weinsteins created a new company, the Fellowship Adventure Group, to make the acquisition.

In other Cannes news, Oscar-nominated Toronto animator Chris Landreth’s short film Ryan, from Copper Heart Entertainment, won three awards, including the Kodak Discovery Award (short film category), the Young Critics’ Prize (short film category) and the Canal + Award for the Best Short Film at the 43rd Cannes International Critics’ Week.

Ryan, about former National Film Board animator Ryan Larkin, is being hailed as a 14-minute creative and technical tour de force, in which Landreth goes beyond ‘photo-realism’ to create an animated reality in which characters’ appearances reflect their ‘pain, insanity, fear, shame and creativity.’ Landreth calls it ‘psycho-realism.’ The short is produced in partnership with the NFB and Seneca College – Animation Arts Centre.

Another winner with a Canadian connection was Maggie Cheung, who won best actress for her role in director Oliver Assayas’ Clean, a copro between Toronto’s Rhombus Media, the U.K. and France.

Other winners at Cannes include South Korean director Park Chan-wook, who won the Grand Prix for Old Boy; 14-year-old best actor Yuuya Yagira, recognized for his role in Nobody Knows; and best director Tony Gatlif for Exils. Best screenplay went to Comme une Image (Look at Me) by French scribes Agnes Jaoui and Jean-Pierre Bacri. The Jury Prizes were awarded to actress Irma P. Hall for her role in Hollywood’s The Ladykillers by the Coen brothers, and to Tropical Malady from Thai director Apichatpong Weerasethakul.

Israeli director Keren Yedaya won the Camera d’Or for best first feature for Or.

-www.festival-cannes.org