"Crash" wins top festival prize

The Deauville Film Festival awarded its top prize Sunday to "Crash," a tale of disparate, disconnected Los Angeles residents whose paths cross over a 36-hour period.

The movie, the feature-film debut by TV veteran Paul Haggis, has a star-laden ensemble cast including Sandra Bullock, Don Cheadle, Brendan Fraser, Matt Dillon, Thandie Newton, Ryan Phillippe and Jennifer Esposito.

Two films shared the jury prize: "Keane" by Lodge Kerrigan and "On the Outs" by Lori Silverbush and Michael Skolnik. The festival at the Normandy resort, which started Sept. 2, is a European showcase for mainly American movies. French director Alain Corneau presided over the nine-member jury, AP reports.