On Tuesday, November 18, at Publiciscinémas, the CST held its annual Festival de Cannes CST AWARDS ceremony, a vibrant celebration of technical excellence and the commitment of image and sound professionals.

The evening began with testimonials from former jury members and loyal partners of the CST AWARDS, each emphasizing the importance of defending excellence in technical creation.

Alexia de Mari, master of ceremonies, opened the evening. After a word of welcome, she invited André Labbouz to take the stage. In his speech, the president of the CST reminded everyone how this moment is at once a celebration, a recognition, and a tribute. A celebration, because everyone is gathered around their shared passion; recognition, because the CST shines a spotlight on those who work behind the scenes; and finally, a tribute to the technical professions without which cinema could not exist.

André Labbouz thanked the Festival de Cannes, including its president Iris Knobloch, its general delegate Thierry Frémaux, and the Marché du Film teams. He also paid tribute to the two CST AWARDS juries and all the CST AWARDS partners who contribute to making these awards possible.

He then expressed his gratitude to the Publiciscinémas team, and in particular to Lawrence Faudot, its director. Theater 1 of the cinema, awarded the Excellence label by the CST in 2022, retains this label thanks to the professionalism and perseverance of the team.

©Claudine Doury – Peuples de Sibérie – Fleuve Amour 1997.
Les foins à Nergen #1

Nicolas Naegelen spoke of the crucial role played by technical artists and translators in bringing filmmakers’ imaginations to life through images and sound. Emphasizing that “mixing is about bringing movement to the soundtrack,” he praised Stéphane Thiébaut’s sensitivity, experience, and talent.

Upon receiving his award, Stéphane Thiébaut thanked the jury and his team – Iona Kan, Séverin Favriau, Paul Maernoudt, and Olivier Thys – with whom he carried out this ambitious project.

Nicolas Naegelen – CEO of Polyson

Yannick Bétis, CEO of Transpa, then took to the stage to present the CST AWARD for Best Artist Technician to Ruben Impens, cinematographer on Julia Ducournau’s film Alpha. In his speech, he emphasized the importance of the long-standing relationship between Transpa and the CST. He reminded the audience that artist-technicians are the link between art and technology, and that they deserve to be celebrated as such.

Ruben Impens said he was delighted to receive this technical award. He explained that, even though he does not consider himself “very technical,” he enjoys researching and discovering new ways to create through technology.

Yannick Bétis – CEO of Transpa

The CST AWARD for Best Young Female Film Technician, created to encourage and promote talented young women working in the fields of image, sound, and set design, was then announced.

Claudine Nougaret, Vice President of the CST and co-founder of this award, delivered a message read by Alexia de Mari. After thanking Claudine Doury for her support in donating works from her personal collection, Claudine Nougaret highlighted the number of women directors in the Official Selection of the Festival de Cannes and the importance of showcasing young talent.

Jack Aubert, Deputy Chief Executive Officer of AFDAS, presented the award and highlighted the alignment between the values of the award and those of AFDAS: the feminization of professions, the emergence of young talent, and the promotion of technical skills. He emphasized that this award contributes to equal opportunities and intergenerational transmission.

Evgenia Alexandrova – last year’s winner – then took the floor to reiterate the importance of the award, which highlights the presence of female directors in the Sélection officielle of Festival de Cannes. Evgenia shared her impressions of the winner’s work, emphasizing the visual success in translating a book she had greatly enjoyed into images. She then invited the winner of the CST AWARD for Best Young Female Film Technician, Eponine Momenceau, cinematographer for Alex Lutz’s film Connemara, to join her on stage to pass on the torch.

Eponine Momenceau thanked the jury and her team: Marianne Damour, chief electrician, and Claire Dabry, first assistant camera.

The jury – composed of Françoise Noyon, cinematographer, and Remy Jacquelin, producer at Malberg Pictures – highlighted the delicacy and subtlety of the cinematography, which complements the film’s narrative and staging.

Eponine spoke about her collaboration with director Alex Lutz, who wanted to visually experiment with emotions such as oppression and the birth of love using an organic and intimate “grammar”. She thanked the actors, highlighting the closeness they developed in their quest for the invisible and the imperceptible.