Frémaux Honored at Cannes as Party Roof Buckles
Get the Culture newsletter
Daily culture — film, music, books, the trends and ideas worth your attention. Free.
- A wooden structure on the JW Marriott Cannes roof buckled under the weight of partygoers during Variety's annual Welcome to Cannes Party, forcing guests to move to another part of the terrace mid-event.
- Variety presented Thierry Frémaux with its International Achievement in Film Award, marking his 25th year leading the Cannes Film Festival, at a ceremony co-hosted with the Gotham Film & Media Institute.
- Frémaux recalled his first Cannes year coincided with the 2001 "Moulin Rouge!" premiere, which brought Nicole Kidman, Ewan McGregor, and Baz Luhrmann to the Croisette and set the tone for his tenure's star-heavy glamour.
- In his acceptance speech, Frémaux declared cinema "an instrument of peace" and told the crowd: "if Donald Trump needs some help, he has to ask us, because we know exactly how to make peace in this world."
- Sony Pictures Classics' Michael Barker, whose company will premiere Pedro Almodóvar's "Bitter Christmas" in competition, praised Frémaux for protecting filmmakers and called him "a treasure" to the industry.
- The A-list crowd included Diane Kruger, Jordana Brewster, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences President Lynette Howell Taylor, director Renny Harlin, and Netflix awards guru Lisa Taback.
Why it matters: Frémaux's 25-year milestone coincides with a Cannes edition that is already politically charged — his unsolicited offer of cinema's peace-making services to Trump signals the festival director is willing to wield his platform for geopolitical commentary, while Sony Classics' Almodóvar premiere underscores Frémaux's continued ability to land auteur competition titles.
