Kering’s Women in Motion Awards are coming together.
The star-studded gathering, which is being held during the Cannes Film Festival as an official event in the presence of festival leaders, jury members and others, is scheduled to take place on May 17. Academy Award-winning actress Julianne Moore will be honored with the Women in Motion Award, while Italian writer Margherita Spampinato will receive the Emerging Talent Award.
The Women in Motion Awards is a ceremony launched in 2015. Each year, Kering highlights “female artists whose careers and commitment have advanced the role of women in film and society.” Recipients over the years have included Nicole Kidman, Donna Langley, Jane Fonda, Patty Jenkins, Geena Davis, Susan Sarandon, Viola Davis, Michelle Yeoh, and Salma Hayek Pinault. Kering’s Women In Motion activities in Cannes also include live events such as talks, podcast recordings and more.
François-Henri Pinault, Chairman of Kering, praised: “Julianne Moore fully embodies the spirit of the Women in Motion movement. Through the consistency of her artistic choices, the depth and complexity she brings to her performances, and her long-standing dedication to promoting meaningful representation both on screen and off, she has helped redefine what it means to be a leading woman in cinema.”
Moore, a regular face at the Cannes Film Festival, won an Oscar for her work in the film Still Alice. Her other credits include Far from heaven, the hours, the children are well, the dance nights, And recently, May, December, Echo Valley, next room, sirens and Mary and George. She will next star in Jesse Eisenberg’s untitled musical comedy A24. She received the highest acting awards at the Berlin, Venice and Cannes Film Festivals.
Moore said she was “really grateful” to be recognized by Kering. “Being part of the Women In Motion legacy is very meaningful to me. I have always believed that visibility matters, and that the stories we choose to tell can expand the space for women, and for a richer diversity of voices, both on screen and behind the camera. Continuing to work together to amplify female and diverse voices and support the next generation of creatives helps build a more open and representative cinema, while creating real change.”
Iris Knobloch, president of the Cannes Film Festival, said Moore “doesn’t use cinema to reassure people.” Rather, “over 40 years, she has chosen characters who destabilize, suffer without resolution, and reject easy sympathy. In doing so, she has seized territory on the screen that did not exist before she entered it.” Delegate General Thierry Frémaux added: “Julianne Moore is one of the great actresses of contemporary cinema. Through a filmography that is uncompromising and rich in variety, she has structured her work with remarkable intelligence and patience, and delivered performances of rare emotional precision. Working with some of the most important filmmakers of our time, she brings to every role a profound sensitivity, an extraordinary sense of nuance, and a courageous engagement with complex characters.”
Spampinato was selected for the Emerging Talent Award by her predecessor, Brazilian director Mariana Brennand, who received it last year. The honor comes with a grant (50 thousand euros) to support a second feature film project, and it concerns Spampinato in her first appearance. Goya Mia. The film, which premiered at the Locarno Film Festival where it won two awards, tells the story of a young boy who discovers love, memory and mystery during an unexpected stay in a coastal town in Sicily.
Previously, Spampinato wrote and directed two short films, Thomasina andSegrity. “I am grateful and excited to receive the 2026 Emerging Talent Award from Women In Motion,” she said. “It is a great honor to receive it from Marianna Brennand, a director whom I greatly admire. This award touches me because it supports the creativity and freedom of new female voices in cinema and the arts around the world.”
