Martin Scorsese honored with Lyon Lumiere tribute

PanARMENIAN.Net - An echo of his prolific career, colorful personality and enduring passion for movies, Martin Scorsese was celebrated by an impressive delegation of French and international film figures on Friday, October 16 night in Lyon, where he received the Lyon Lumiere tribute, Digital Spy reports.

The ceremony was emceed by Thierry Fremaux, the artistic director and general delegate of both Cannes and Lyon Lumiere film festivals, which is dedicated to heritage films. Previous Lumiere tributes were awarded to Quentin Tarantino, Pedro Almodovar and Clint Eastwood.

Like a rock star, Scorsese walked into the packed congress to the beats of the Rolling Stones’ “Jumpin’ Jack Flash.” He was welcomed by a rowdy standing ovation and a crowd that included Salma Hayek and husband Francois Henry-Pinault, Kering CEO, Cannes film festival president Pierre Lescure, directors Abbas Kiarostami (“Like Someone in Love”), Matteo Garrone (“The Tale of Tales”), Elia Suleiman (“The Time That Remains”), Pablo Trapero (“The Clan”), Michel Franco (“Chronic”), Gaspard Noe (“Love”), Michel Hazavicius (“The Search”), Jean-Pierre Jeunet (“The Young and Prodigious Spivet”), Alice Rohrwacher (“The Wonders”), MK2’s Nathanael Karmitz, producer Charles Gillibert, Hengameh Pahani, Pierre Rissient, Amazon Studios’ Scott Foundas, Geraldine Chaplin, Emilie Mortimer, Elsa Zilberstein, Virginie Efira, Jane Birkin and Francois Cluzet.

The ceremony was punctuated by many surprises, including an appearance by Jane Birkin, who performed a song, and Kiarostami, who showed a highly experimental short dedicated to Scorsese. Robert De Niro, who was not able to attend because he’s currently shooting “The Wizard of Lies,” recorded a short video to congratulate his longtime friend. Fremaux also presented a compilation of comedic silent movie scenes before offering them in 35 millimeters to Scorsese. His guests ended up on stage singing “New York, New York.”

Although Bertrand Tavernier, the president of the Lumiere festival, wasn’t there as he’s still recovering from a surgery, he was present in spirit and in speeches, especially the one delivered by Scorsese himself.

Scorsese, who attended the ceremony with his wife, Helen Morris, and daughter, Francesca, was visibly moved by the tribute. “Younger audiences today know the world only through images and they desperately need someone like Bertrand (Tavernier) to give them some guidance and enlighten them in a way that’s more powerful than a six-second clip shot with a smartphone,” said Scorsese, alluding to the documentary Tavernier is now making about the history of films.

The iconic filmmaker also spoke about his World Cinema Foundation, which restores heritage films from across the globe. “My passion for restoring and preserving films came out of an anger that these things were just falling away. I had such a need to share this excitement for movies with others,” said Scorsese.

“There wasn’t a habit of reading in my house so it’s through films that I discovered music, poetry, art and all sorts of storytelling. And it’s through movies that I discovered the world,” said Scorsese.

The ceremony was followed by a screening of “Taxi Driver.”