Susan Sarandon & Geena Davis Honored at Cannes
Susan Sarandon & Geena Davis Honored at Cannes
In celebration of the 25th anniversary of their film ‘Thelma and Louise,’ Susan Sarandon and Geena Davis were honored Sunday night at the Presidential Dinner hosted by the Festival de Cannes and Kering. The two women also presented ‘Women in Motion’ young talent Awards to Syrian director Gaya Jiji, Iranian writer and director Ida Panahandeh, and Tunisian director Leyla Bouzid.
In the same release from Kering, it was stated that, “As part of the ‘Women in Motion’ program, designed to highlight and celebrate the contribution of women [in] cinema, and on the occasion of the Presidential Dinner which took place on Sunday 15 May, Kering and the Festival de Cannes celebrated the exceptional careers and the commitment to both the film industry and the women’s cause of the Academy Award-winner American actress Geena Davis, and the Academy Award and BAFTA Award-winner American actress Susan Sarandon. The ‘Women in Motion’ Award ceremony brought together Thelma & Louise’s iconic lead actresses on the year of the 25th anniversary of the cult film.”
Kering states that the ‘Women in Motion’ programme aims to, “stimulate discussion on the place of women in the film industry, both on and off the screen.” This programme was launched as a part of the partnership between Kering and the Festival de Cannes in May of 2015. The programme consists of ‘The Talks,’ a series of open interviews that take place throughout the festival, “to create a platform for considering and exchanging views on the multi-faceted issue of women in the film industry;” and the ‘Women in Motion’ awards, which are presented each year to up-and-coming talents by an iconic figure in the industry.
In 2015 the Women in Motion Award went to actress, producer and philanthropist Jane Fonda, and to the independent producer Megan Ellison. For ‘the Talks,’ a debate was opened to a number of individuals in the industry, covering themes that included, “the issue of balancing family and career for women filmmakers, the lack of finance for film projects directed by women, the lack of confidence in women directors, the struggle to be taken seriously and the lack of consideration for the economic influence of female filmmakers and audiences. Nonetheless, some participants of the Talks highlighted the industry’s awareness of these inequalities, reflecting a certain optimism about the topic.” Isabella Rossellini, Claire Denis, Salma Hayek Pinault, Matthias Schoenaerts, Melvil Poupaud, Isabelle Huppert, Sylvie Pialat, Agnès Varda, Thierry Frémaux, Frances McDormand and Deniz Gamze Ergüven, were among the individuals invited to take part in this debate.
Susan Sarandon & Geena Davis Honored at Cannes
