Lumière Film Festival Opens With a Message of Peace in Response To Middle East Conflict
variety.comLise Pedersen “Vive la paix, vive le cinéma!” Irène Jacob, the president of Lyon’s Lumière Institute which runs the Lumière Film Festival, chose to mark the opening of the event on Saturday night with a solemn message of peace, a week to the day after the outbreak of renewed conflict in the Middle East. “Tonight, we are really looking forward to this festival as a gesture of peace, because we do not forget what is going on in the world, the tragedies that move us, the wars all around us, the children and civilians in danger, the madness and the sadness of our divided world.
Vive la paix, vive le cinéma!” The message was in line with the spirit of Europe’s leading classic film festival, which has always made a point of being a window to the world past and present ever since its first edition back in 2009.
A host of celebrities took to the stage for the opening of this 15th edition, which will honor Wim Wenders with a lifetime achievement award, including guests of honor Wes Anderson, Alexander Payne, Terry Gilliam and J.A.
Bayona. The one-and-a-half-hour event saw festival director Thierry Frémaux, who also heads the Cannes Film Festival, expertly run the show – a warm, friendly and humorous affair miles away from the usual polished opening ceremonies at other film festivals, despite taking place in Lyon’s packed 5,000-seat Tony Garnier concert hall.
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