Juliette Binoche celebrated her 60th birthday and became president of the European Film Academy

She became the second woman after Agnieszka Holland in this status

On March 9, French star Juliette Binoche celebrated her 60th birthday. And a few days after the anniversary, she was elected president of the European Film Academy, which unites more than 4,600 filmmakers in its ranks.

Her colleagues unanimously approved her new position. Juliette Binoche will officially take up her duties on May 1. In the “rank of queen” she will appear before filmmakers in December 2024 in Lucerne, Switzerland. It is there that the annual awards ceremony for the best filmmakers in Europe will take place.

In the honorary post, Juliette Binoche replaced Polish director Agnieszka Holland, who became the first female president in the history of the European Film Academy. Holland decided to retire in order to devote herself entirely to cinema. Her latest film, “Green Border,” had a great resonance in the world and brought her a special jury prize at the Venice Film Festival in the fall of 2023. Agnieszka Holland was active as vice president for several years and only became president in 2020, replacing veteran Wim Wenders, who had led the film academy since 1996.

Announcing the end of her career, Agnieszka Holland addressed her colleagues: “I am not a person who can easily step aside. However, I realized that first of all I am a director and I want to focus on my profession in the coming years. It was an honor for me to serve as President of the European Film Academy and succeed Wim Wenders, who continued the work of Ingmar Bergman. When I found out that Juliette Binoche was ready to take up the baton, I thought that it was impossible to wish for anything better. She represented European cinema so convincingly throughout her serious career.”

So, the first president of the European Film Academy was the Swedish director Ingmar Bergman, who headed it in 1989 at the time of its creation. In 1996, he was replaced by the German classic Wim Wenders. In 2020 came Agnieszka Holland. In 2024, for the first time, the European Film Academy was headed not by a director, but by an actress. Juliette Binoche has Polish roots, which unites her with Agnieszka Holland.

It’s amazing that she agreed to take on this burden. Unlike many of his colleagues of the same age, Binoche actively acts in films and works in the theater. But the presidency is still associated with additional burdens and requires time if one takes it seriously, as her predecessor did. Agnieszka Holland is socially imprisoned. She took an uncompromising position against those who persecuted filmmakers and harshly criticized many events taking place in the world and specific politicians.

Juliette Binoche can also be called an activist. She once signed an appeal to the French government, calling for attention to catastrophic climate change on the planet, and also supported filmmakers in the fight against harassment. In 2022, in solidarity with the women of Iran, Binoche joined their hijab protest and cut off her beautiful hair. She supported the actions of the “yellow vests” in France and was always indifferent to what was happening in the world. And the main thing is that she is not only talented in her profession, but also smart.

In December 2019, in Berlin, where the headquarters of the European Film Academy is located, and where awards ceremonies for the best filmmakers are held every odd-numbered year, Juliette Binoche was presented with an award for achievements in cinema. On that gala evening, disgraced Iranian director Jafar Panahi appeared on screen, facing persecution in his homeland. Congratulating Juliette Binoche, he recalled his imprisonment, during which he was saved by the image of the actress. Binoche’s tear-filled eyes made a strong impression on him. And she cried on stage when film director Claire Denny gave a speech in her honor. The situation was tragicomic. Because of the strike, Denis flew to Berlin without the suitcase in which she was carrying the dress for the ceremony. I had to go out in trousers and a leather jacket. But Binoche was regal.

To date, her filmography includes 84 films. Among them are “The Rendezvous” by Andre Hichine, “Bad Blood” and “Lovers from the New Bridge” by Leos Carax, “The Unbearable Lightness of Being” by Philip Kaufman, “Three Colours: Blue”, “Three Colours: White” and “Three Colours: Red” “Krzysztof Kieślowski, The English Patient by Anthony Minghella, A Couch in New York by Chantal Akerman, The Widow of Saint-Pierre by Patrice Leconte, Hidden by Michael Hanneke, True Copy by Abbas Kiarostami, High Society by Claire Denis… In the series “New Look: Style Revolution” she stars as Coco Chanel.

Juliette Binoche never ceases to amaze. In the recent “Recipe for Love” by Tran Anh Hung, which was nominated for an Oscar from France, she dared to play a love couple with Benoit Magimel. They were once together in real life. They met on the set of A Venetian Affair, but broke up twenty years ago. They have a daughter together, Hannah. After some deliberation, Juliette Binoche agreed to meet with Majimel on the set of the new film.