The Romanian film director Cristian Mungiu has been awarded Officer of the Order of Arts and Letters by French Culture Minister

Romanian director Mungiu awarded French Officer of the Order of Arts and Letters title

Newsroom 21/05/2013 | 08:44

At this edition of the Cannes International Film Festival, the French Culture Minister has offered on Monday, May 20, the honor Officer of the Order of Arts and Letters to the Romanian film director, Cristian Mungiu. In 2008, Mungiu has received the Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters, from the French Government. The Romanian director has participated many times in the Cannes Film festival, las time in 2012, when he received the Prize for the best script, for his production “Dupa dealuri” (Beyond the Hills).

The Order of Arts and Letters (Ordre des Arts et des Lettres) was established in 1957 to recognize eminent artists and writers, as well as people who have contributed significantly to furthering the arts in France and throughout the world. The Order of Arts and Letters is given out three times annually under the jurisdiction of the Minister of Culture and Communication. American recipients of the award include Paul Auster, Ornette Coleman, Agnes Gund, Marilyn Horne, Jim Jarmusch, Richard Meier, Robert Paxton, Robert Redford, Meryl Streep, and Uma Thurman.

At this year’s edition of Cannes Film Festival, Romanian film director Cristian Mungiu was chosen to be part of the jury alongside big names of the world cinema, such as Australian actress Nicole Kidman , Austrian actor Christoph Waltz and Taiwanese filmmaker Ang Lee. The jury, headed by U.S. filmmaker Steven Spielberg, also includes French actor and director Daniel Auteuil, Indian actress Vidya Balan and female directors Lynne Ramsay, from UK and Naomi Kawase, from Japan.