Kering and the Festival de Cannes will present the 2023 Women In Motion Award to actress Michelle Yeoh.
François-Henri Pinault, Chairman and CEO of Kering luxury group, Iris Knobloch, President of the Festival de Cannes, and Thierry Frémaux, Director of the Festival de Cannes, have chosen to honor Michelle Yeoh‘s exceptional career by presenting her with the 2023 Women In Motion Award during the official Women In Motion dinner at 2023 Festival de Cannes, France.
This award recognizes the creativity and unique contributions made by women in culture and the arts since its launch in 2015. Michelle Yeoh, a Malaysian-born actress and producer, has been selected for her groundbreaking roles portraying complex, determined women on screen, which have helped challenge gender and age-related stereotypes in the film industry.
Michelle Yeoh has received several awards for her work, including the Golden Globe, the SAG Award, and the Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in “Everything Everywhere All at Once.” In her acceptance speeches, Yeoh has touched on important issues such as diversity, racism, and ageism, and emphasized the need for change in the film industry.
Previous Women In Motion Award winners include Jane Fonda, Geena Davis and Susan Sarandon, Isabelle Huppert, Patty Jenkins, Gong Li, Salma Hayek, and Viola Davis. Yeoh expressed her gratitude for the recognition and highlighted the importance of women continuing to play diverse and complex roles in the film industry. The organizers praised Yeoh’s significant contribution to cinema and her ability to inspire future generations of talent, while also celebrating the achievements of women in the film industry more broadly.
“I’m very moved to receive this award. I’m convinced that times are changing; public awareness has certainly grown in recent years. It’s vital that women – in front of the camera and behind it – keep playing roles and telling stories that reflect the diversity and complexity of the world.” – Michelle Yeoh.
“Through her iconic roles, Michelle Yeoh has managed to shatter every stereotype. Together with the Festival de Cannes, we wanted to recognize her significant contribution to cinema, and her ability to inspire future generations of talent. Presenting her with the Women In Motion Award was the obvious choice.” – François-Henri Pinault, Chairman and CEO of Kering.
“I am happy and proud to celebrate, along with Kering, the contribution made by women to the film industry. For the past nine years, Women In Motion has been highlighting the figures who have played a key role in changing the way women are represented in culture and the arts. Michelle Yeoh is undoubtedly one of the most outstanding examples of this commitment.” – Iris Knobloch, President of the Festival de Cannes.
Ruben Östlund, President of the Jury of the 76th Festival de Cannes
By inviting Ruben Östlund to preside over the Jury, the Festival de Cannes wishes to pay a tribute to films that are uncompromising and forthright and which constantly demand that viewers challenge themselves and that art continue to invent itself.
Ruben Östlund has therefore become the third two-time winner of the Palme d’or to be the President of the Jury, following Francis Ford Coppola and Emir Kusturica, and the very first to take on this role the year after his acclaim in Cannes.
“As president, concludes Ruben Östlund, I will remind my colleagues in the jury about the social function of the cinema. A good movie relates to the collective experience, stimulates us to think and makes us want to discuss what we have seen – So let’s watch together!”
