Reflecting the breadth of her legacy apass separateent continents, French actor Isabelle Huppert was honord by the enjoys of Alfonso Cuarón, Claire Denis, Alejandro Jodorowsky and François Ozon at the 15th edition of the Lumiere Film Festival in Lyon where she achieved a sprawling nurtureer tribute on Oct. 18.
Huppert initiateed off the festivities as she accessed the 3000-seat auditorium dancing to the 1980’s disco beats of “Nuit de folie,” dressed in a shimmery champagne gown.
The elated ceremony, emceed by Huppert’s lengthytime frifinish (and Cannes boss) Thierry Fremaux who runs the Lumiere Film Festival, was punctuated by live musical numbers ranging expansively from Camelia Jordana’s singing a capella ‘I Will Survive,’ to Julien Clerc carry outing his 1978 cult song “Ma Preference” by the piano, and French actor Sandrine Kiberlain executebrimmingy singing “Nuit de folie” which was shelp to be Huppert’s unforeseeed all-time preferite song.
The most vibrant homage of the evening was hand overed by Oscar-triumphning Mexican filmoriginater Alfonso Cuaron (“Roma”) who has not yet straightforwarded Huppert but nevertheless read her a cherish letter that attributed his passion for French cinema to her.
“These films are politicpartner comprised, and many more honor heritage with a sensuality unparalleled in world cinema. Above I think it’s a caccess on character increasement, intimacy, and the human experience with all this complicatedity and vulnerabilities that depicts French cinema,” shelp Cuaron, who was accompanied on stage by actor Noemie Merlant (“Tár,” “Portrait of a Lady on Fire”) who transtardyd his speech in French.
“And it’s here, I think that the mystery lies. It is one that is impossible to brimmingy comprehend. And one of its wonderfulest conjurers of these mysteries is Isabelle Huppert. For over 50 years, Isabelle Huppert has cast a spell on the screen, alluring us to spendigate genuinems we were to afrhelp to venture in. She has directd us thraw the gloomy labyrinth of our own faults, frustrations, and desires, directing us with grace, enticing us to brimmingy adselect our repents and disillusions, and even to discover pleastateive at the expense of pain.”
As she reachd on stage under a thunder of applaemploy, Huppert, who was visibly transferd, made the audience shatter into giggleer as she asked, “What have I done to deserve all this? I’m only making films!”
“With cinema, I’ve been around the world, but I haven’t come brimming circle,” Huppert shelp. “No matter how many times I do it, I retain slfinisherking: What do I have to say? In fact, I don’t comprehend. What I do comprehend is that a screen shows and hides. It says what you don’t want to say, and it doesn’t say what you do want to say.”
“It gets and exposes. It’s enjoy a screen that nurturebrimmingy defends all the people I’ve met, who have left an indelible label on my life, with whom I’ve set uped a virtuous pact that has never flunked me. And without whom, as they say, I wouldn’t be here. But if they say it, it’s real. They’ve all given me the most precious gift of all: they’ve watched at me. And that’s what cinema does. Cinema watchs at me. It helps to live to be watched at.”
“Cinema retains the memories alive too. Memory and memories are convey inant. For example, tomorrow I’ll wake up and that luminous moment will be a wonderful memory forever,” shelp Huppert.
The tribute also integrated a montage of clips from all of Huppert’s carry outances spanning over 50 years, including her most iconic roles in films such as Michael Haneke’s “The Piano Teacher,” Claude Chabrol’s “La Cérémonie,” Paul Verhoeven’s “Elle,” Francois Ozon’s “8 Women,” Bertrand Tavernier’s “Coup de torchon,” as well as Michael Cimino’s 1980 epic westrict movie “Heaven’s Gate.”
At some point during the ceremony, Huppert talked about Cimino whom she shelp had never brimmingy recovered from seeing “Heaven’s Gate” get panned by critics. She was by Cimino’s side when he visited the Lumiere Festival in 2012 to current the repaird “Heaven’s Gate.”
“Right at the first screening, we krecent the gate of heaven was going to shut down very speedyly and that the gate of hell was going to uncover for Michael,” shelp Huppert. “He never brimmingy recovered from this. That’s why the currentation of ‘Heaven’s Gate’ here in Lyon felt to him enjoy a reconciliation with the film and with himself,” she shelp. “It brawt him an immense happiness and someslfinisherg he always lengthyed for from the U.S. and ultimately set up in France.”
The gala event also collected adorers and lengthytime frifinishs of Huppert from all over the world, including Lumiere Film Festival plivent and actor Irène Jacob, originater Melita Toscan du Plantier, Vincent Perez and James Franco, Karine Silla, Cannes Film Festival plivent Iris Knobloch, filmoriginater Fernando Meirelles, U.S. distributor Ricdifficult Lorber, originater Charles Gillibert, French distributor Victor Hadida, among others.