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| Julianne Moore Photo: German Larkin/Courtesy of Kering/Cannes Film Festival |
Moore, whose work spans four decades and multiple genres, won the Academy Award for Still Alice, having previously been nominated four times. She is also a Emmy, Golden Globe and BAFTA award-winner. The award is part of Women in Motion's attempts to highlight the work of female talent both in front of and behind the camera.
President of the festival Iris Knobloch said: "Julianne Moore does not use cinema to reassure. For forty years, she has chosen characters who destabilize, who suffer without resolution, who refuse easy sympathy and in doing so, she has claimed territory on screen that did not exist before she walked into it. The Women in Motion Award recognizes not only what she has achieved, but what she has made possible for every actress who comes after her."
Women in Motion will also present Italian filmmaker Margherita Spampinato with the Emerging Talent Award, which recognises a female director for her first feature. The prize comes with a grant of €50,000 (£43,000) to support the creation of the laureate’s second feature project. Kering and Cannes, which present the award, note in their press relase that Spampinato's debut Sweetheart (Gioia Mia) "reflects the vitality and originality of a new generation of filmmakers shaping the future of cinema".
Spampinato was selected by her predecessor, Marianna Brennand (Manas), who said: “Like its title, Gioia Mia felt like a jewel to me. Margherita is a flawless storyteller. She has such a unique, precise way of turning everyday moments into something magical. I loved how much empathy she has for her characters. A tender bond between two people from different generations: a boy and his great-aunt unfolds through heartbreak and impossible love. But beneath the tenderness lies something heavier: the silent violence of a patriarchal world, carried in the body and soul of an older woman who was never allowed to fully exist. I’m really excited to see what Margherita does next.”
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| Margherita Spampinato Photo: Francesca Conte/Courtesy of Kering/Cannes Film Festival |
Responding to the news of her award Moore said: “I’m genuinely grateful for this recognition from Kering and the Festival de Cannes. Being part of Women In Motion’s legacy is incredibly meaningful to me. I’ve always believed that visibility matters, that the stories we choose to tell can widen 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 to support the next generation of creators helps build a cinema that is more open, more representative, while driving real change.”
Spampinato said: “I am grateful and happy to receive the 2026 Women In Motion Emerging Talent Award, and it is a great honour to receive it from Marianna Brennand, a director I deeply admire. This award moves me because it supports the creativity and freedom of new female voices in cinema and the arts around the world.”
