Budget cuts, #Metoo, Iran: very political Molières 2024

The Molières 2024 have put è honor Francis Huster or even a play talking about Iranian exiles, Monday evening, during a ceremony marked by several positions taken against budget cuts.

“Thank you to everyone except the Minister!” said the mistress of ceremonies, comedian Caroline Vigneaux. “You get us back the 204 million euros (less on the culture budget, editor's note), you don't touch the intermittency. And we'll release you in time for Paris town hall!” she ironized.

An actor from the CGT spectacle also warned against “theatre companies (…) going bankrupt, tens of thousands of jobs (…) threatened”. “It’s a massive layoff plan that doesn’t speak its name.”

Present in the Folies Bergère room, the minister did not speak, but posted a video at the start of the evening in which she assured that “the regime of intermittency (…) must be preserved”.

French comedian Caroline Vigneaux presents the 35th Molières ceremony at the Folies Bergeres theater in Paris, May 6, 2024 © AFP – Thomas SAMSON

She also advocated more “collaborations” between public and private theater. The conclusions of a report on the subject are expected this summer.

This 35th edition was dedicated “to the memory of Bernard Pivot”, writer and television presenter died Monday at age 89.

It was also an opportunity for live performance to support the fight against sexist and sexual violence, via the broadcast of a giant trombinoscope on which we could read “You are not alone”.

Calendar coincidence, this Monday was the day on which the indictment of the playwright and writer Pierre Notte, several times named at this ceremony in the past, for the rape of one of his former high school theater students from 2004 to 2005, which he refutes by arguing that it was a real “love affair” with the teenager.

< p> – Standing ovation for Francis Huster –

Receiving an honorary Molière, Francis Huster, 76, praised “the real heroines” of the plays of Molière, his female characters, in a tirade which earned him a standing ovation.

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French actor and director Francis Huster smiles as he receives the Honorary Molière during the 35th Molières ceremony, at the Folies Bergeres theater in Paris, May 6, 2024 © AFP – Thomas SAMSON

And to quote “Agnès, Elvire, Armande, Célimène, Toinette, Nicole, Dorine” who dared “to denounce and triumph over these cowards, Tartuffe rapist, hypocrite Orgon, Arpagon avaricious pervert, Jourdain obsessed with money and sex, Arnolphe predator pedophile, deranged Argan and even Dom Juan, a remorseless killer”.

As for the rewards, the play “4.211 km” by Aïla Navidi, which tells the exile of an Iranian family and its fight for freedom, was recognized twice (best private theater show and Molière for female revelation).

The opportunity for director and actress Olivia Pavlou Graham to call for the release of Iranian rapper Toomaj Salehi sentenced to death in his country.< /p>

French actor Vincent Dedienne receives the Molière for best actor in a private theater show, during the 35th Molières ceremony, at the Folies Bergeres theater in Paris, May 6, 2024 © AFP – Thomas SAMSON

“The Circle of Dead Poets” inspired, 35 years later, by the film with Robin Williams as a non-conformist professor, received two awards (best director and male revelation for Ethan Oliel).

Vincent Dedienne received the Molière for best actor in a private theater performance for “A Straw Hat from Italy”. On the public theater side, Micha Lescot (“Richard II”) won the prize.

French comedian Sophia Aram receives the Molière de l'humour for “The World After”, during the 35th Molières ceremony, at the Folies Bergeres theater in Paris, May 6, 2024 © AFP – Thomas SAMSON

The comedian Sophia Aram, who received the Molière for humor, had, shortly before, mentioned the conflict in the Middle East between Israel and Hamas. “If we are all calling for a ceasefire here, how can we be in solidarity with the thousands of civilians who died in Gaza without also being in solidarity with the Israeli victims ?”, she said.

The Molière award for actress in a private theater performance was awarded to Cristiana Reali “(A Streetcar Named Desire”).

The Molière of the actress in a public theater performance went to Vanessa Cailhol (“Courgette”, who was nominated seven times).

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