Gaspar Noé's Climax wins top honours at Cannes Directors' Fortnight

Gaspar Noé's new film Climax has won the Art Cinema Award, the top honour of the Directors' Fortnight section of the Cannes Film Festival.

The film premiered at the festival on May 13 to rave reviews from critics and audiences.

Climax stars Sofia Boutella (The Mummy, Atomic Blonde) and follows a group of young people who descend into madness after being drugged at a dance party.

Noé is a controversial filmmaker whose behind festival hits including brutal rape/revenge film Irreversible, psychedelic bad trip Enter the Void and porn film Love 3D.

Many critics are calling Climax his best film to date.

"A blazingly original, extremely disturbing film that's something quite new - a psychotropic street dance movie that turns into an orgiastic horror trip," writes Jonathan Romney in his Screen Daily review.

"This story of a dance party gone very wrong is possibly Noé's best movie, but it's certainly the best snapshot of a talented filmmaker committed to f**king with your head," writes Eric Kohn for Indie Wire.

A New Zealand release of Climax has not yet been announced.

Newshub.