Kering and the Festival de Cannes will present the 2026 Women In Motion Award to Academy Award, Emmy, Golden Globe and BAFTA-winning actress Julianne Moore at the official Women In Motion Awards ceremony, held as part of the festival.
The award, presented in Cannes since 2015, celebrates female artists whose careers and commitment have “advanced the role of women both in cinema and in society”.
Moore is widely recognised as one of the most accomplished and multifaceted actresses of her generation. She is also celebrated for championing women’s voices and diversity in the film industry, and for advocating greater representation and equality, “values that lie at the heart of the Women In Motion programme”.
Beyond her work on screen, she is deeply committed to social causes, including as founding chair of Everytown for Gun Safety’s Creative Council, where she advocates for ending gun violence in America.
“Julianne Moore does not use cinema to reassure,” said Iris Knobloch, president of the Festival de Cannes.
“For 40 years, she has chosen characters who destabilise, 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 recognises not only what she has achieved, but what she has made possible for every actress who comes after her.”
Moore added: “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.”
Each year, Women In Motion also recognises a female director for her first feature film through its Emerging Talent Award, accompanied by a €50,000 grant to support the creation of the laureate’s second feature project.
In 2026, the award is presented to Margherita Spampinato, whose movie Gioia Mia reflects the “vitality and originality of a new generation of filmmakers shaping the future of cinema”.
Through this story of a young boy discovering love, memory, and mystery during an unexpected stay in a seaside Sicilian town, the film captures the freshness of childhood while exploring themes of transmission, hidden histories, and the unseen.
Margherita Spampinato was selected by her predecessor, Brazilian director Marianna Brennand, who received the award in 2025.
“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,” said Spampinato.
“This award moves me because it supports the creativity and freedom of new female voices in cinema and the arts around the world.”
