Chopard and Angelina Jolie Honor Rising Talents at Cannes
Once a year, the very talented, the very beautiful, and the very rich descend on the French Riviera to celebrate cinema. The Cannes Film Festival is like nothing else: glamorous, surreal, and extravagant. Crowds, held back by police barricades, wait outside grand hotels and the famed Théâtre Debussy in hopes of seeing stars. Paparazzi don tuxedos and ingenues borrow diamonds worth millions. Filmmakers share strolls down blinding red carpets. Parties rage until dawn. But beneath the glitter, the true goal of the festival lies in the protection and creation of great art.
In 1938, the Venice Mostra, later known as the Venice Film Festival, remained the only international competition of its kind. When Fascist powers demanded that the top prize (called the Mussolini Cup) be awarded only to Italian and German propaganda films, British, French, and American jurors resigned. The Cannes Film Festival was established to be free of political interference and to champion unfettered creativity.
Since 1998, Chopard and Caroline Scheufele, its artistic director and co-president, have helped shape the Cannes Film Festival into the spectacle it is today. For the past 27 years, the esteemed Swiss jeweler has manufactured the Palme d Or, the festival’s most coveted prize.
Among the many spectacular events, the Trophée Chopard, which began in 2001, stands out for its mission and magnificence. Each year, an emerging actor and actress are awarded for their work. A “godmother”—a titaness of cinema—is appointed to bestow the honor. This year, that duty fell to Angelina Jolie.
Although her timeless beauty makes it difficult to believe, Jolie has electrified audiences for three decades. Of Girl, Interrupted (1999), for which the actress would win an Academy Award, the legendary critic Stephen Holden wrote that “Jolie’s ferocious, white-hot performance captures the scary allure of this daredevil and brutal truth teller.” Those qualities, on screen and off, have defined her career.
Over the years, Jolie has captivated audiences in a wide range of roles, including action-movie sirens (Lara Croft, Mrs. Smith, and Evelyn Salt), real-life heroines (Christine Collins, Mariane Pearl), and doomed tabloid beauties (Gia Carangi, Maria Callas). Beginning with her directorial debut In the Land of Blood and Honey (2011), Jolie has also established herself as a respected filmmaker. Perhaps her most enduring legacy, however, is her humanitarian work. A tireless advocate for women’s rights, education, and environmental conservation, she has earned accolades and praise from Queen Elizabeth II, Pope Francis, the United Nations, and countless others.
Scheufele took to the stage to echo the evening’s aim, one that extends far beyond pomp and prettiness. “We need new talent,” Scheufele said to the room, populated with brilliant creatives. “We need the new tomorrow and the new dreams that cinema gives us every day, particularly in this mad world.”
To a swell of applause, Jolie sparkled as she rose from her seat to join Scheufele and Iris Knobloch, the festival’s president, on stage. Dressed in an elegant white sheath, Jolie reiterated the importance of art as well as the inherent risk of making it.
“Many lack the freedom and security to tell their story,” Jolie said. “And many have lost their lives. Like Fatima Hassona, killed in Gaza, Shaden Grdood, killed in Sudan, and Victoria Amelina, killed in Ukraine. And so, so many other extraordinary artists who should be with us now. We owe all who are risking their lives and sharing their experiences a debt of gratitude because they have helped us to learn and to evolve. What brings us here is not carpets, even though they are lovely. But what brings us here is to connect with each other through international cinema and the opportunity to be with creative people.”
