Chopard Celebrates Star-Studded 25-Year Partnership with Cannes

variety.com:

Lise Pedersen The 75th edition of the Cannes Film Festival also marks the 25th anniversary of its partnership with luxury jewelry and watchmaker Chopard.Chopard artistic director and co-president Caroline Scheufele remembers fondly when Pierre Viot, then president of the Cannes Film Festival, asked her to create a new version of the world-famous trophy in 1997.“You can imagine my racing heart when he invited me to redesign a fresh interpretation of the Palme d’Or,” Scheufele tells Variety. “The following year, at the closing ceremony of the 1998 Cannes Festival, the new Palme d’Or was unveiled to the world in the form in which it still exists today.For Cannes Film Festival director Thierry Frémaux, the 25-year partnership with Chopard is a relationship based on loyalty and trust. “Chopard is the ‘craftsman’ of the most prestigious award in international cinema, the Palme d’Or.

The symbolism of this prize goes beyond its own value: it is an incredible springboard for all the filmmakers to whom it is presented each year,” he says.In addition to crafting the festival’s top prizes, Chopard has handed out the Chopard Trophy to two rising talents every year since 2001.“I really wanted to do something to recognize the work of promising young actors and actresses who would become the stars of tomorrow.

It is our way of encouraging the next generation of actors,” Scheufele saysJust four years after picking up her trophy in 2004, Marion Cotillard swept the board with acting trophies, winning an Academy Award, a César, a BAFTA and a Golden Globe for her portrayal of Edith Piaf in “La Vie en Rose” (2007).

In 2009, she was Chopard Trophy godmother — the award presenter — to Léa Seydoux and David Kross.Other high-profile laureates.