SydneysBuzz - Kering and the Festival de Cannes Poster 2016 'Women in Motion'

The second edition of the 'Women in Motion' program will take place in Cannes from May 11 to 22, 2016 at the 69th Festival de Cannes.

The year’s official poster is of Frances McDormand whose presentation at last year’s first edition illuminated gender bias practices within the film industry in the most captivating, funny and serious presentation of the several presentations given.  

During her Talk on 22 May 2015, the actress addressed the impact gender discrimination had on budget negotiations for female filmmakers, the lack of money being one of the main issues faced within the industry. Frances McDormand made her point hit home:

"We don't need help, we need money. We don't need more initiatives; we need money."

"Women in motion - it's done! We are moving, we just need to catch up."

Read more on SydneysBuzz about the inaugural sessions of Women in Motion, Cannes 2015.

Launched jointly by Kering and the Festival de Cannes in 2015 as part of an official five year partnership, the 'Women in Motion' program celebrates women's talent in cinema. In keeping with the first edition, the 'Women in Motion' program will be comprised of its two founding pillars: the 'Women in Motion' Talks and the 'Women in Motion' Awards.

The Talks will be announced ahead of the Festival, and will highlight the contribution of women and discuss their role in the film industry.

In addition to the Talks, the first 'Women in Motion' Award will reward the exemplary contribution of a laureate to both the film industry and women's causes. The second Award will be attributed to one or several up-and-coming talents in the film industry, chosen from a shortlist of individuals compiled throughout 2015.

To watch Frances McDormand's Talk on 22 May 2015

"I am proud that ‘Women in Motion’ has once again been given the chance to feature in the program of such a major event as the Festival de Cannes this year.In 2015, ‘Women in Motion’ proved to be a powerful platform for supporting women in cinema.

With ‘Women in Motion’ – and even more so this year, given the real support we are providing to several female directors – we are taking another step towards real awareness and tangible changes, promoting a film industry that is more representative of the richness and diversity of our societies.”

François-Henri Pinault, Chairman and CEO of the Kering Group

The ‘Women in Motion’ Talks: discussing the role and importance of women in film

• Taking place as morning sessions throughout the entire competition, this year’s ‘Women in Motion’ Talks will welcome guests from outside the film industry to enrich the discussions about the place and contribution of women in cinema and underline solutions which would make the industry more representative.
• During the first edition of the ‘Women in Motion’ Talks held in 2015, a number of high-profile men and women eagerly joined the debate. 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 all expressed their views on women and cinema during a series of interviews open to journalists and industry professionals.

The ‘Women in Motion’ Awards: celebrating talented women

• In addition to the talks, the 69th Cannes International Film Festival will also be marked by the presentation of the ‘Women in Motion’ Awards.
• In 2015, two honorary awards were attributed; the first to actress, producer and committed philanthropist Jane Fonda, who also holds two Oscars for best actress; and the second to independent producer Megan Ellison to celebrate the launch of the ‘Women in Motion’ programme. Both women are emblematic of their cinematic generations.
• In 2016, the first award will be presented to a laureate who has made an exemplary contribution to both the film industry and women’s causes. The first award winner will then be offered the chance to choose the recipient(s) of the second award, intended to support up-and-coming talents in the film industry, from a shortlist of individuals compiled throughout 2015. The second award will be accompanied by financial support for an ongoing film project.
• The awards will be presented on 15 May 2016, during the ‘Presidential Dinner’ organised by Kering and the Festival de Cannes and hosted by François-Henri Pinault, Pierre Lescure and Thierry Frémaux.

A long-term commitment to both Women and Cinema

Kering and cinema

• From financing films and restoring works to producing documentaries and supporting producers and feature films, Kering and its Corporate Foundation have supported a number of films with a strong message: “Desert Flower” by Sherry Hormann (2009), “Home” by Yann-Arthus Bertrand (2009), “Brave Miss World” by Cecilia Peck (2013), and “Ice and Sky” by Luc Jacquet (2015).

• Kering has also been a partner of the Ecole de la Cité film school, part of the Cité du Cinéma complex created by Luc Besson, since its launch in 2012.

• Through its brands, Kering has also supported high-profile film institutions and festivals, such as the Tribeca Film Institute (New York), Britdoc (London), the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) and the Lumière Festival (Lyon).

Kering and women

• Kering has been committed to empowering women for many years, primarily through the Kering Foundation, created and chaired by François-Henri Pinault, Kering Chairman and CEO, as well as the Chime for Change initiative launched by Gucci, to empower women and girls around the world.

About Kering

A world leader in apparel and accessories, Kering develops an ensemble of powerful Luxury and Sport & Lifestyle brands: Gucci, Bottega Veneta, Saint Laurent, Alexander McQueen, Balenciaga, Brioni, Christopher Kane, McQ, Stella McCartney, Tomas Maier, Boucheron, Dodo, Girard-Perregaux, JeanRichard, Pomellato, Qeelin, Ulysse Nardin, Puma, Volcom, and Cobra. By 'empowering imagination' in the fullest sense, Kering encourages its brands to reach their potential, in the most sustainable manner.

Present in more than 120 countries, the Group generated revenues of more than €11.5 billion in 2015 and had more than 38,000 employees at year end. The Kering (previously PPR) share is listed on Euronext Paris (FR 0000121485, KER.PA, KER.FP).

About Sydney Levine

Sydney Levine is an executive of longstanding in the international film business. She is a writer of the popular blog on international film business, SydneysBuzz which also has run on Indiewire, IMDbPro and IMDb since 2008 when Amazon acquired her twenty-five year old company FilmFinders. In 1988 Sydney created FilmFinders, the industry’s first database of worldwide features used by distributors, sales agents and festival programmers acquiring features. It became industry standard for organizing and tracking the rights-buying activities of the film business and was adopted by the Cannes Marché and developed into what today is called Cinando.com. She and her partner, Peter Belsito continue to provide consulting and strategic planning for producers, national film organizations and other educational initiatives in international film business at Cannes, Toronto, Sundance, Germany's Deutsche Welle Akademie, Talents in Berlin, Sarajevo, and Guadalajara, EICTV the international film school in Los Banos, Cuba, Chapman University, UCLA Extension, Vilnius University, et. al. She organizes, moderates and participates in panel discussions on the international film business, as well as producing white paper research and reports on SydneysBuzz.com. Sydney works with the markets in Cannes and Berlin in administering buyers’ data for North America, Latin America and Asia and gives tours of the market to newcomers. She opens the Cannes Shorts Corner with a presentation on The International Film Circuit for shorts. She has currently completed a book about Latin American Film Financing published in Spanish by the Guadalajara University Press. The English version on the Iberoamerican Film Business will be published in the fall of 2016.

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