Posted on 28.06.2023

Although our attention is drawn to the great names in front of the camera, there are just as many personalities behind the scenes whose work deserves recognition. Every year, the Fabienne Vonier Prize is bestowed upon a notable woman in the cinema industry. The award is dedicated to the memory of Fabienne Vonier, cofounder of the Pyramide company.

The previous Fabienne Vonier Prize recipients

With the support of producer Francis Boespflug, Fabienne Vonier’s husband, and her children, the first Fabienne Vonier Prize was awarded during the 2016 Lumière festival to producer Margaret Menegoz and distributor Régine Vial. Their talents elevated the production and distribution of French and international auteur cinema to the highest levels through their company Les Films du Losange. In 2017, the prize was awarded to the founders of production and distribution company Haut et Court, Carole Scotta and Caroline Benjo. In 2018, producer Michèle Ray-Gavras was recognized for her important work in international film production; in 2019, Véronique Cayla, president of Arte and elected to the presidency of the Cesar, received the prize. In 2020, Sophie Seydoux was awarded as the president of the Jérôme Seydoux-Pathé Foundation, and in 2021, the prize was conferred upon Brigitte Maccioni, CEO of the UGC (Union générale cinématographique), producer and distributor. The last one to have received the prize was Michèle Halberstadt, co-director of ARP Sélection.

About Fabienne Vonier

Co-founder of the company Pyramide, producer and distributor, Fabienne Vonier was a major figure of French and international cinema. With Pyramide, she accompanied two generations of the most influential filmmakers of her time: Louis Malle (also co-founder of Pyramide), Alain Resnais, Tonie Marshall, Youssef Chahine, Nikita Mikhalkov, Elia Suleiman, Aki Kaurismaki, Fatih Akin, Benoit Jacquot, Claire Denis, Alain Cavalier, Nuri Bilge Ceylan and many others. After her passing in 2013, a prize bearing her name was created to honour female personalities of cinema.


The Fabienne Vonier Prize 2023 will be revealed soon. It will be awarded during the Lumière Festival (October 14-22, 2023).