Nicole Kidman, the trailblazing actor and producer who last starred in Halina Reijn’s thought-provoking “Babygirl,” will be celebrated at the Cannes Film Festival where she will receive the Woman in Motion Award from Kering chairman and CEO François-Henri Pinault, Cannes president Iris Knobloch and director Thierry Fremaux.
Launched in 2015 by Kering, an official partner of the Cannes Film Festival, the Women in Motion program highlights the creativity and contribution made by women, both on and offscreen, in the world of culture and the arts.
As the milestone 10th Woman in Motion honoree, Kidman will succeed NBCUniversal Studio Group chair and CEO Donna Langley, Jane Fonda, Geena Davis and Susan Sarandon, Isabelle Huppert, Patty Jenkins, Gong Li, Salma Hayek Pinault, Viola Davis and Michelle Yeoh.
The tribute to Kidman will take place at a glamorous gala dinner bringing together filmmakers, talent, jury members and executives.
Kidman, who was last at Cannes in 2017 to receive the 70th Anniversary Prize, said, “It’s a true honor to receive this award from François, Thierry, Iris, my friends at the Kering Group as well as the Cannes Film Festival.”
“I am proud to join this list of extraordinary women who’ve received this honor before me—artists and trailblazers I deeply admire,” Kidman said, adding that “the Cannes Film Festival has been a part of my life for over 30 years and I am thrilled to add this incredible recognition to the many memories I’ve made here.”
François-Henri Pinault, Kering’s chairman and CEO, said, “For this anniversary edition of Women In Motion, Nicole Kidman, who fully embodies the spirit of the program, was an obvious choice.”
“Through her artistic standards, her committed choices and her concrete action to change representations in cinema, she is a powerful illustration of what Women In Motion has been defending for a decade,” Pinault continued.
Kidman has worked with some of the world’s greatest filmmakers, including Stanley Kubrick, Jane Campion, Lars von Trier, Baz Luhrmann, Sofia Coppola, Gus Van Sant and Reijn, interpreting complex, powerful roles that have helped to modernize and refine the representation of women on screen.
As a producer, Kidman, who launched her production vehicle, Blossom Films, in 2010, hasalso been pursuing meaningful female-driven projects, such as “Big Little Lies in which plays a domestic violence survivor. The limited series won a flurry of Emmy Awards in 2017, including one for her. That year, while presenting Sofia Coppola’s “The Beguiled” at the Festival de Cannes, she called out gender inequality in the industry and pledged to shoot with a female director every 18 months. Eight years later, she has surpassed her promise, having already collaborated with 19 female directors.
“Nicole Kidman is an immensely talented actress,” said Thierry Fremaux, general delegate of the Cannes Film Festival. “Her rich filmography, of which she is the patient author, and her masterful, unsettling performances have left their mark on the history of contemporary cinema. She has worked with the most emblematic directors, lending them her versatility and infinite sensitivity. Role after role, and with the nuances, strengths, and flaws specific to each character, she has portrayed women who break freefrom their shackles.”
Iris Knobloch, the president of the Cannes Film Festival, praised Kidman for her commitment to empowering women.
“When a great actress works with nearly twenty female directors in the space of a fewyears, she shows the world just how vibrant and alive the talent of women in cinema reallyis,” said Knobloch, who became the first president of the Cannes Film Festival in 2022.
“Through all these projects, and of course through her production company, Nicole Kidman has given those who write, direct, and tell stories all the visibility they deserve. It is this strong, singular and resolutely modern voice that we are proud to celebrate this year with Kering,” she continued.
Kidman recently won a best actress prize at Venice and earned a Golden Globe nomination for her daring portrayal of a CEO who starts a subversive affair in “Babygirl.” She was also the 49th recipient of the American Film Institute’s Lifetime Achievement Award last year.
Alongside her artistic career, Kidman has been a strong social activist for several decades. As a Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF and UN Women, she uses her influence to defend the rights of women and children worldwide.
Kering recently hosted an event at its Paris headquarter during which it presented a study put together by the Annenberg Inclusion Initiative study and showed that showed that female directors have gained significant ground in the U.S., U.K. and France.
