Odessa A’Zion and Connor Swindells Honored by Chopard in Cannes

The Cannes Film Festival itineraries of leaders Thierry Fremaux and Iris Knobloch are understandably jam-packed with events, so when they stand in the spotlight together, and the former says “this is one of the best evenings of the festival,” chances are it’s going to be a good night.

The two joined Chopard’s Caroline Scheufele at Carlton Beach Friday night for the luxury jeweler’s Chopard Trophy gala to fete two actors hand-picked as “next generation” talents in the presence of a godmother tasked with presenting the trophies. This year, that honor went to French film icon Isabelle Huppert, who took her time in handing over the awards to Odessa A’zion and Connor Swindells.

Prior to reading her speech, the actress, in Cannes for the world premiere of Asghar Farhadi’s Parallel Tales, said she took the gig “very seriously,” and it showed. “The Chopard Trophy does not simply reward talent. It recognizes a movement, a promise, something that is already there yet still in the process of becoming,” she said. “Perhaps that is what it means to be an actor, to always be becoming. There are many actors in this room, and I’m sure they agree with this.”

There were many actors and industry insiders in the room, including jury members Chloe Zhao, Demi Moore, Stellan Skarsgard and Ruth Negga as well as guests like James Franco, Andie MacDowell, Dylan Sprouse (with pregnant wife Barbara Palvin), Riley Keough, Nicky Hilton, Xavier Dolan and others.

“Cannes is a place of memory, but it’s also a place of birth,” Huppert continued in presenting the awards, an honor created by Scheufele in 2001, and previously bestowed upon Marion Cotillard, Léa Seydoux, Diane Kruger, Florence Pugh, Jessie Buckley, Adèle Exarchopoulos, Kingsley Ben-Adir, Mike Faist, Joe Alwyn, Gael García Bernal and others. “Every year, new faces appear. They come to enrich a story that constantly reveals itself and perhaps in the end, that is the true beauty of cinema. It never truly ends. It passes from one generation to another without even ever repeating itself. Tonight, we celebrate that continuity and we celebrate two singular presences, two sensibilities, two paths that are only beginning to be written and that we already want to follow.”

Huppert then said she does not wish A’zion or Swindells success as they move forward in their careers. “Success is uncertain, capricious, and sometimes deceptive. I wish you something else — I wish you freedom. The freedom to choose. The freedom to refuse. The freedom to explore unexpected territories. The freedom to be yourselves. The freedom to dream. And above all, the freedom to remain faithful to that mystery that brought you here, because that mystery is what make great actors.”

In accepting, A’zion called it “really weird, crazy and surreal” to be in Cannes. “I’ve never been here before and never thought in a million years that this would be happening the first time that I came here. I don’t know why you guys chose me, but I’m so grateful that this is so cool,” she said, joking that watching her highlight reel was a “horrifying” experience. “There are so many actors that I admire who are part of this lineage of this award and this is so crazy. This is really cool. Yeah, thank you, guys.”

A’zion landed in Cannes after a breakout year thanks to her work in Josh Safdie’s Marty Supreme opposite Timothée Chalamet, Gwyneth Paltrow and Tyler, the Creator. She’s also a series regular in Rachel Sennott’s I Love LA. Upcoming projects include Cody Fern’s Mother Courage, opposite Naomi Watts and Sarah Paulson, and Justine Triet’s Fonda. Previous credits include Sitting in Bars with Cake, Fresh Kills, Pools, Grand Army, Hellraiser and She Rides Shotgun.

Meanwhile, British actor Swindells had a breakout role as Adam Groff in Netflix’s global phenomenon Sex Education. He moves seamlessly between TV and film, period dramas, contemporary cinema and large-scale productions. His credits include Emma, The Vanishing, Steven Knight’s SAS Rogue Heroes, William Tell and Greta Gerwig’s billion-dollar smash Barbie. He next appears in Ruben Östlund’s anticipated The Entertainment System Is Down and Kayleigh Llewellyn’s The Dreamlands.

Unlike A’zion, Swindells quipped that he “rather enjoyed looking at myself up there” on the big screen to see his career in highlights. He ended his speech with a poignant nod to his late mother who died of cancer when he was just a child. “My mother’s name is Phoebe. She died when I was very young and sadly, she didn’t get to see any of this, but this definitely would not be possible if not for her. She’s been an amazing spirit that’s been with me all this time. So please, a round of applause for my mother.”