Cannes 2024: the day the Palme d’Or was awarded to three people at the same time

In the annals of the Cannes Film Festival, a memorable evening took place on May 26, 2013 when Abdellatif Kechiche’s film was released, Adele ‘s life, was crowned with the prestigious Palme d’Or. But what made this event unique in the history of the Festival is that this prize was not awarded one person, but three : director Kechiche and the actresses Adèle Exarchopoulos and Léa Seydoux.

Adèle Exarchopoulos and Léa Seydoux : two performance awards for a Palme d’Or

When the jury, chaired by Steven Spielberg, wanted to award the award for acting to Exarchopoulos and Seydoux as well as the Palme d’Orthey had to deal with the limits imposed by the Festival regulations.

Rather than let this constraint undermine their intentions, the jury made a historic decision officially associating the two actresses with the supreme prize of the festival.

Gilles Jacob, then president of the festival, explained:

“The jury wanted to award the acting prize ex aequo to Adèle Exarchopoulos and Léa Seydoux, in addition to the Palme d’Or for the film. The regulations do not allow it. The jury then decided to officially associate the two actresses with the award. A first in the history of the Festival. »

On this occasion, two new Palme d’Ors were specially produced by Chopard. During a moving ceremony at the festival’s Paris headquarters, Adèle Exarchopoulos and Léa Seydoux received their trophies with palpable gratitude, even in the absence of guest director Kechiche.

Director accused of sexual violence and moral harassment

But behind the splendor and success of the film lies a much less glorious reality. And for good reason: while Adèle Exarchopoulos and Léa Seydoux continue to be two of the most interesting actresses in French cinema, Abdellatif Kechiche was accused of sexual assault in 2018. The case was dismissed for “insufficiently qualified crime” in 2020. Shortly after Cannes , Adèle Exarchopoulos and Léa Seydoux had also described the filming as Adele ‘s life From“horrible” and of “endless”insisting on ” management ” to which the director subjected them and the violence he would show. Adèle Exarchopoulos then confided: “Most people wouldn’t even dare to ask what he asked us and would show more respect. »

Jul’ Maroh, the transfeminist comic book artist on which the film is based, also deplored the fact that the director made the sex scenes, surgical and crude, far from any representation of lesbian love and desire. The director allegedly stopped responding to his messages once the rights to the work were sold and neither invited him to Cannes nor mentioned him in the acknowledgments at the Palme reception.

Listen to Apéro des Daronnes, Madmoizelle’s show that aims to break down taboos on parenting.