It took '' Gerry '' over a year to make it to theaters , in which time Van Sant began production on his next film , '' Elephant '' . Approached by HBO and producer Diane Keaton to craft a fictional film based on the 1999 Columbine High School massacre , the director chose to shoot in his hometown of Portland , employing dozens of untrained , teen actors . As well as melding improvisational long takes like those in '' Gerry '' with Harris Savides ' fluid camerawork , the film was also influenced by Alan Clarke 's 1989 film of the same name ( see '' Elephant '' ) . The finished film provoked strong reactions from audiences at the 2003 Cannes Film Festival . At the Cannes festival , the jury awarded '' Elephant '' with their top prize , the Palme d'Or , and Van Sant with his first Best Director statue from the festival . The success of '' Elephant '' led Van Sant to show the U.S. premiere of '' Elephant '' as a fundraiser for Outside In , an organization working to help youth living on the streets of Portland , Oregon
2003 Cannes Film Festival
2003 Cannes Film Festival
Gus Van Sant