The prize for best film at the Cannes Film Festival was presented on Saturday, but the one Mexican who contributed to its triumph was unable to join the celebrations.

Julio Chavezmontes coproduced the winner of the Palme d’Or, Triangle of Sadness, which gained an eight-minute standing ovation by the invitation-only crowd. However, he was unable to rejoice with cast and crew after contracting COVID-19 while in France to promote the film.

“I have not been able to celebrate because on Thursday I gave positive [in a COVID-19 test] and I’ve been locked away since then,” Chavezmontes said in a telephone interview.

“Receiving the news [of the victory] has helped me and I’m well … but yes, unfortunately I’m isolated and recovering,” he added.

The dark, satirical comedy was written and directed by Swede Ruben Östlund and stars Harris Dickinson, Charlbi Dean and Woody Harrelson.

The film centers on a fashion model celebrity couple who are invited on a luxury cruise for the super rich. It critiques superficiality in beauty culture: the title comes from a term used by plastic surgeons to describe a face wrinkle.

Östlund previously won the Palme d’Or for his film The Square in 2017. His 2014 work Force Majeure won the jury prize at Cannes in the Un Certain Regard (From Another Angle) category where films are nominated for their originality.

Triangle of Sadness has an approval rating of 71% on ratings website Rotten Tomatoes, based on reviews by critics.

With reports from Reforma