Leslie Felperin wrote in '' Variety '' : " It 's all rather jolly and slight , and certainly does n't break any new ground for the Finnish auteur , even though it foregrounds more influences than usual from French filmmakers like Marcel Carné ( obvious , given the protagonists ' names ) , Jean-Pierre Melville , Robert Bresson and others . But on its own terms , '' Le Havre '' is a continual pleasure , seamlessly blending morose and merry notes with a deftness that 's up there with Kaurismäki 's best comic work . " Felperin complimented the craft of Kaurismäki 's regular cinematographer Timo Salminen and editor Timo Linnasalo , and wrote : " It 's like listening to a band that 's been cheerfully churning it out for years , whose members all know each other 's timings inside out , not unlike onscreen performers Little Bob and his grizzled , perfectly in-sync crew . " The film received the FIPRESCI Prize for best film at the Cannes Film Festival . It also received a Special Mention from the Ecumenical Jury . The dog Laika received a special Jury Prize from the Palm Dog jury . The film went on to win the top prize for best international film at the 2011 Munich International Film Festival . It was selected as a nominee for the European Parliament 's Lux Prize . The film was selected as the Finnish entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 84th Academy Awards , but it did not make the final shortlist . '' Le Havre '' also won the Gold Hugo at the Chicago International Film Festival
84th Academy Awards
84th Academy Awards
Le Havre (film)