THREE GRACES: Jane Fonda is among the winners of the inaugural honorary prizes that French luxury and lifestyle company Kering will hand out at the Cannes Film Festival on Sunday night as part of its Women in Motion initiative.
The two-time Oscar winner, who regularly attends the festival as a brand ambassador for L’Oréal Paris, will collect her award at a dinner co-hosted by François-Henri Pinault, chairman and chief executive officer of Kering, new festival president Pierre Lescure and Thierry Frémaux, artistic director of the film fortnight.
Fonda was chosen for the film career as well as her work with organizations including the United Nations Population Fund, for which she is a goodwill ambassador, and non-governmental groups like the Women’s Media Center and V-Day, a global activist movement to end violence against women and girls.
The Women in Motion program, which aims to highlight and celebrate the contribution of women to cinema, will also honor American independent producer Megan Ellison, whose credits include “Foxcatcher,” “American Hustle” and “Zero Dark Thirty.”
And the event will pay homage to Olivia de Havilland, who was the first woman to head the Cannes jury in 1965. The 98-year-old “Gone with the Wind” star lives in Paris.
“These three industry talents have all contributed to shaping the contemporary film industry and will remain touchstones for years to come,” Kering said.
From next year, the Women in Motion program will feature two awards: One will reward a significant contribution to women’s rights, while the second will be handed to a talented young female director, the group added.
Kering this year joined the list of official partners of the Cannes Film Festival, alongside L’Oréal Paris, Chopard, Air France and MasterCard, among others.