By Blake Murdoch

CANNES (Hollywood Reporter) - For the first time in the history of the Cannes Film Festival (news - web sites), the jury on Sunday met the international press to explain why and how it chose this year's winners, including Michael Moore (news)'s "Fahrenheit 9/11."

"It was a love fest, but that doesn't necessarily mean we agreed all the time; it was more of a respect fest," jury president Quentin Tarantino (news) told the jam-packed conference.


Noting there were hours of passionate debate held every few days, he added: "This was my dream of what could possibly happen (on a jury)."


As for the decision to award the Palme d'Or to "Fahrenheit 9/11," Moore's broadside at the Bush administration, jury members said it was a unanimous choice based purely on its strength as a film, not a political statement.


Tarantino said it's what goes "through the projector" that mattered, not politics, as far as the jury was concerned.


Describing Moore as a Cheshire cat throughout the film, he said: "All that matters is the reels of film. In this case we all agreed it was the best film, not because of all this politics crap."


He criticized a journalist who asked him to explain the cinematographic merits of "Fahrenheit 9/11."


"I think you're coming from a narrow view of what it requires to be a good film. I think you're talking about pretty pictures and a movie doesn't have to be about pretty pictures," he said.


Indeed, Tarantino said, every film, except for two (unnamed) entries, "had a passion to make you think about them even a few days later." Inclusion, not elimination, was how the jury decided to approach its awards.


Although members of the press kept asking for opinions on single films, jury members wouldn't be drawn, noting every film was a winner. Tarantino, however, did say that Korean entry "Old Boy," directed by Park Chan-Wook, had been a "strong contender" for the main prize. Meanwhile, "Tropical Malady" -- the first Thai film selected for the competition -- which drew a highly polarized response, affected some jury members "profoundly, to a staggering degree."


Asked if the strong showing of Asian films at the festival reflected a "flavor of the month" trend, Tarantino said: "You're belittling a very substantial movement (that is creating) some of the most interesting films in the world."


In response to the jury's decision to give the award for best actress to Maggie Cheung (news), Tarantino said: "She is one of the best actresses in the world. In fact that was one of our easier decisions."


The jury also defended its choice of best actor to 14-year-old Yuuya Yagira ("Nobody Knows"), saying that age shouldn't be a factor in determining the quality of acting.


British actress Tilda Swinton (news) dispelled rumors that she had clashed with the gregarious Tarantino, and praised him for respecting the opinions of others.


"Quentin Tarantino has got an enormous mouth, right, but he's got two enormous ears," she said to general laughter.


Reuters/Hollywood Reporter