awards

Isabelle Huppert Receives French Cinema Award

Photo: Getty Images/Matt Winkelmeyer

Earlier today, Isabelle Huppert was thanked by both her country’s Minister of Culture Audrey Azoulay and her peers for positively representing French cinema to the entire world, so, yeah, you should have seen Elle when it was in theaters. Smooth move. The Golden Globe–winning star of Paul Verhoeven’s latest thriller received UniFrance’s French Cinema Award, and was publicly lauded by the organization’s president Jean-Paul Salomé for her willingness to travel extensively to promote the film. Directors Benoit Jacquot, Joachim Lafosse, Mia Hansen-Løve, and Anne Fontaine celebrated Huppert in person, while Michael Haneke, Agnieszka Holland, Brillante Mendoza, and her Elle director Paul Verhoeven sang her praises in a pre-recorded video. “I realized through my trips how much people abroad love French cinema,” Huppert remarked when receiving her award. “Through all the recognition that I have been receiving over the last few months, it’s French cinema which was being celebrated for its audacity, transgression, subversion and ultimately its freedom.” So, what, do you need an engraved invitation? Walk, drive, or fly immediately to a city that’s still screening Elle.

Isabelle Huppert Receives French Cinema Award