Michel Hazanavicius leaves his mark on Cannes

It was on the Majestic beach, next to the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès, that the filmmaker placed his hands in the clay, under the flashbulbs of photographers and the sunshine of the Croisette. This symbolic moment, reserved for personalities who have made a lasting mark on the seventh art, now includes his name among the 450 or so artists immortalized on Cannes’ prestigious “Chemin des Étoiles”. This distinction recognizes a body of work that is both singular and popular, driven by a unique authorial vision. Michel Hazanavicius won an Oscar for The Artist (2011), an iconic black-and-white silent film, and has also made a name for himself with such outstanding works as OSS 117, Le Redoutable and, more recently, La Plus Précieuse des Marchandises.