International Artistic Excellence Honored at Fourth Annual French Riviera Film Festival with Indian Actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui Receiving Industry Excellence Award

Lifetime Achievement Award presented to Polish director Jerzy Skolimowski and Industry Excellence Awards to Danish Filmmakers Martin Strange-Hansen and Kim Magnusson;  Turkish actor Cansel Elçin and Italian actress Arianna Veronesi recognized for acting

Gilles Marini, Nicole Goesseringer Muj, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Vincent De Paul

International artistic excellence was honored at the fourth annual French Riviera FilmFestival, held from May 20 – 21, 2022, at Eden Hotel & Spa. Award-winning Indian actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui received a Special Industry Excellence Award at the VIP opening reception of the festival held on May 20 at Bel-Air Fine Art Gallery. The award was presented by Emmy-winning actor Vincent De Paul.

Well known for his work in movies like Manto, Raman Raghav, Gangs of Wasseypur (Duology), Lunchbox, and TV series like Sacred Games and McMafia, Siddiqui graced the Cannes red carpet as part of the Indian government’s initiative to celebrate the diversity in art that India possesses. Recently, it was announced that he will play the lead in the new film Laxman Lopez, by director Roberto Girault, making him one of the first lead protagonists of Indian origin cast in a Hollywood film.

A special Lifetime Achievement award was also presented to Polish director Jerzy Skolimowksi at the opening ceremony, which was accepted by EO executive producer Eileen Tasca.  Directed by Skolimowski, EO is part of the official Cannes Film Festival  2022 competition.

EO co-producer Eileen Tasca accepts Lifetime Achievement Award

on behalf of Jerzy Skolimowski

Kim Magnusson 

At the closing ceremony held on May 21^st, Oscar-winning producer Kim Magnusson and director Martin Strange-Hansen from Denmark were awarded with Industry Excellence Awards for their 2022 Academy Award-nominated short On My Mind. Best acting nods were given to Arianna Veronesi for her work in FRFF finalist drama short Glaistig and to Turkish actor Cansel Elçin for his work in the film Down From The Clouds, which had its festival premiere at FRFF. 

Cansel Elçin and Nicole Goesseringer Muj

Arianna Veronesi

In attendance at the opening and closing receptions were Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Eileen Tasca, Kim Magnusson,  Vincent De Paul, Gilles Marini, Eugenia Kuzmina, Cansel Elçin, Arianna Veronesi, Anna Fishbeyn, Eva Lanska, Wendy Morgan, Erika Stasiuleviciute, FRFF founder Nicole Goesseringer Muj, FRFF finalists and winners, and many others.

First launched in 2019, FRFF recognizes and celebrates short-form content created for film, television, web and all digital platforms. Scheduled during the time period of the Festival de Cannes, FRFF invites filmmakers from around the globe to participate in the two-day event that includes screenings, Global Entertainment Showcase, VIP receptions, and closing gala awards ceremony. 

Official 2022 FRFF Festival Trailer: https://youtu.be/_noscMLrAmU

Event partners include Eden Hotel and Spa, Beverly Hills Hotel, Bel-Air Fine Art,  Chateau de Berne, The Good Gin, Cardinal du Four, DiFiore New York, Indie Entertainment Media, SPARQ, and filmfestivals.com.  Gift bag partners include Byroe, Laritzy, Lipsmart, Mesolyft, Pour Moi, and The Fragrance Group.  

Photos by Erick Seban-Meyer.

FRFF is produced by Cloud 21 PR International and Kultura PR International.