Cannes 2017: Women in Motion Announces Young Talents Award Details & Names Isabelle Huppert as Face of Program
The film lineup for the 70th Cannes Film Festival will be announced in a couple days, but in the meantime, a few other fest details have been announced to tide us over. “Elle” actress Isabelle Huppert will be the official face of the third Kering’s Women in Motion program. And according to Deadline, French actress and director Sandrine Kiberlain is this year’s Camera d’Or jury president.
The release for the program states: “Women in Motion endeavors to focus our attention on the crucial role of women in film, and to the importance of continuing to fight for greater equality and access to opportunities for talented young women.” Throughout the festival, Women in Motion will host discussions that “compare and contrast experiences and views on women’s contribution to film, and to share their recommendations for greater representation.” These talks are open to journalists and film industry players.
Referring to Huppert as an icon, the Women in Motion announcement describes her as “a leading actress universally acclaimed for her filmography featuring the world’s greatest directors.” She was selected to represent the program because “her career, like the roles she plays, is a genuine source of inspiration for the public.”
Huppert served as Jury president at Cannes in 2009. She won the fest’s Best Actress prize for 2001’s “La Pianiste” and 1978’s “Violette Nozière.” Huppert received an Oscar nomination this year for “Elle.” Her other recent credits include Mia Hansen-Løve’s “Things to Come,” “Valley of Love,” and “Louder Than Bombs.”
Kering’s Women and Motion will bestow its two awards May 21. One prize will go to “an emblematic figure in film, whose career inspires others and embodies the program’s values.” The second, the Young Talents Award, honors a rising star in the film industry. The Young Talents winner will also receive €50,000 (about $53,000 USD) to help fund their project(s).
Actresses Geena Davis and Susan Sarandon, and directors Leyla Bouzid, Gaya Jiji, and Ida Panahandeh received the 2016 Women in Motion Awards.
Last year’s Women in Motion initiative featured conversations with Jodie Foster, Juliette Binoche, Sarandon, Davis, Chloë Sevigny, Houda Benyamina, Alice Winocour, and Salma Hayek. Women and Hollywood Founder and Publisher Melissa Silverstein was also a participant. She sat down with Francine Raveney of the European Women’s Audiovisual Network and a Elsa Keslassy from Variety for “Show Us the Money,” a panel that addressed the lack of funding for female-directed films and the gender imbalance in Hollywood.
Elsewhere, Sandrine Kiberlain is set to head the Camera d’Or jury, the group that selects the best debut feature from each competition. She previously served as a feature film jury member at the fest’s 2001 edition. Kiberlain’s acting credits include Cannes picks “A Self-Made Hero” and Maiwenn’s “Polisse.”
Among Kiberlain’s other films are “Being 17,” “Violette,” Valérie Lemercier’s “Quadrille,” and Nicole Garcia’s “A View Of Love.” She received the Best Actress César for “9 Month Stretch” in 2014 and directed the short “Bonne Figure” in 2016.
The Cannes International Film Festival will be held May 17–28. Check out our festival wishlist here.
