Kirill Serebrennikov awarded the Legion of Honour in France

As the 78th Cannes Film Festival unfolds on the Côte d’Azur, it has become the stage for more than just cinematic premieres. On 17 May, acclaimed Russian director Kirill Serebrennikov was presented with France’s highest national distinction — the Ordre national de la Légion d’honneur. The decoration was personally bestowed by the French Minister of Culture, Rachida Dati, during a ceremony in Cannes.

Established by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1802, the Legion of Honour remains France’s most prestigious order of merit. Its laureates include artists and public figures such as Ivan Aivazovsky, Maya Plisetskaya, Irina Antonova, Ilya Ehrenburg, Pavel Lungin and others. Presenting the award, Dati highlighted Serebrennikov’s significant contribution to cinema, theatre, and opera, and praised his role in shaping the French cultural landscape. She also acknowledged the international recognition of Moscow’s Gogol Centre, formerly led by the director. 

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In his acceptance speech, Serebrennikov called France his “second homeland” and reflected on art’s power to resist violence and division.

“Only culture, beauty, music, cinema, theatre and other forms of art can save our souls and prevent the human heart from turning to stone. Especially in a time when my homeland has unleashed an epidemic of madness and war.”

 

“This award gives us wings. And with wings, we have nothing to fear,” he said, adding that he sees the honour as a responsibility — to support “those who are suffering today, who rot in prison for their beliefs, who endure repression for their views or identity, who have lost their homeland or all hope.” (The quotation is reproduced from the full speech published in the Telegram channel of journalist Denis Kataev, “French Dispatch” — Ed.)

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The award coincided with the Cannes premiere of Serebrennikov’s latest feature, The Disappearance of Josef Mengele. Based on Olivier Guez’s bestselling novel, the film traces the final years of the infamous Nazi doctor who evaded justice and died in exile in Brazil. Told from Mengele’s perspective, the film — starring German actor August Diehl — examines the psyche of a man known as the “Angel of Death”. Diehl, notably, also stars as Woland in the recent screen adaptation of The Master and Margarita, so the Russian-speaking audience already knows him.

“The Disappearance of Josef Mengele”. Photo: © Association Française du Festival International du Film

Serebrennikov’s next project will be his first French-language film, Après. The feature is currently in production, boasting a star cast including Ludivine Sagnier, Louis Garrel, Fanny Ardant, and Vincent Macaigne. 

Cover photo: Telegram channel KIRILL AND HIS FRIENDS

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