There is no better view in Cannes than the Place de la Castre, which overlooks the harbor, the Palais, and the row of hotels flanking the Croisette. Every year, Kering throws its Women in Motion dinner at this castle, and the spectacle of the location never disappoints. At the cocktail hour, guests—famous and nonfamous alike—can’t help but take photos with the sparkling lights of the festival behind them.
For its eleventh edition this Sunday, Kering bestowed its annual award on actress and author Julianne Moore, while filmmaker Margherita Spampinato received the Emerging Talent Award. In his speech, festival general delegate Thierry Frémaux pointed out that Moore is one of the few actors to receive best-acting awards from the top three European film festivals: Cannes (Maps to the Stars), Berlin (The Hours), and Venice (Far From Heaven). Francois Henri-Pinault, the chairman of Kering, then welcomed the audience before passing the microphone to festival president Iris Knobloch. Salma Hayek greeted him with a smile as he returned to his seat to watch the rest of the night’s speeches.
Cannes President Iris KnoblochDaniele Venturelli/Getty Images
François-Henri Pinault and Salma HayekArnold Jerocki/Getty Images
In his presentation to Moore, Frémaux listed the staggering number of directors she has worked with: Alfonso Cuarón, Steven Spielberg, Pedro Almodóvar, Todd Haynes, the Coen brothers, and Paul Thomas Anderson, to name a few. In Cannes, that is the biggest flex of all. (How many auteurs have you worked with?) “Julianne is an actress who never cowers,” said Frémaux. “She’s inside her world. She’s really connected with real life and her political life. Every artist has to be involved in what’s going on in the world.”
Moore was humble and gracious when accepting the award. “There is a cultural assumption, particularly in the United States, that women’s stories are less interesting or smaller. Or if we are at the center of a narrative, we need to be strong or doing something that is particularly male if we want someone to watch us,” she said. “I think that’s untrue, because what about the female audience? What do they want to watch? I fucking love actresses. I love to identify with them. I choose a lot of what I watch based on who I’m going to look at for two hours. I feel that way in my life too. When I navigate my daily life, I’m always looking for women. I see the women in my elevator, on the subway, and in the airport. If I need information, I approach a woman. I read books about women. My yoga group is all female, and all of my representatives, my agents, and my managers are female.”
Laura Wandel, Salma Hayek, Margherita Spampinato, Julianne Moore, Demi Moore, Chloé Zhao, and Ruth NeggaAnthony Ghnassia/Getty Images
She stayed away from being overtly political and instead made the night a celebration of the women in the room. Her speech got tremendous applause from the crowd. The Women in Motion dinner always brings out the festival’s top stars, including Cannes’s jury. This year, Sebastian Stan attended with his partner, actress Annabelle Wallis. The couple recently revealed her pregnancy on the red carpet. Meanwhile, Daisy Edgar-Jones mingled with stars Harris Dickinson and Rami Malek, whose film The Man I Love premieres later in the festival.
It’s a long affair, with dessert being served well past midnight as guests get out of their seats and weave between tables. And, of course, take a look at the view.
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