Quebec director Xavier Dolan is feeling vindicated after winning the prestigious second-place Grand Prix at the 69th Cannes Film Festival for his film Juste la fin du monde (It's Only the End of the World), which was panned by film critics.

"I was so proud of my film and I really did think it works," Dolan told reporters during a news conference after he landed in Montreal.

"And I still believe that."

The young filmmaker, 27, has racked up accolades and awards in his budding career, but his most recent accomplishment surprised many after Juste la fin du monde received a lukewarm reception.

Dolan said in the past, critics helped him improve his work — but not in this case.

"This time, I didn't read the criticism from Americans since they didn't understand the film," he said.

Juste la fin du monde​, Dolan's sixth, tells the story of a man who returns home after a long absence, only to reveal that he is about to die.

Vanity Fair film writer Richard Lawson didn't mince words when he called it "the most disappointing film at Cannes."

Despite the harsh reviews, Juste la fin du monde also won the Prize of the Ecumenical Jury on Saturday for its "human qualities that deal with the spiritual dimension."

Dolan's first foray into the French film festival was in 2009 with his directorial debut, J'ai tué ma mère (I Killed My Mother), which he wrote when he was only 17.