Charles Rivkin Remarks at the Opening Ceremony of the Deauville American Film Festival
DEAUVILLE, FRANCE— Motion Picture Association Chairman and CEO Charles Rivkin delivered remarks at the opening ceremony of the Deauville American Film Festival. The following are his remarks as prepared for delivery:
Monsieur le Préfet du Calvados,
Madame la Consule des États-Unis pour le Grand Ouest de la France,
Monsieur le Maire,
Chère Anne d’Ornano
Madame la Présidente du Festival de Cannes mon amie Iris Knobloch
Mesdames et Messieurs les Membres du Jury,
Mesdames et Messieurs,
Quel honneur de revenir au Festival du Cinéma Américain de Deauville.
Quelle joie de retrouver autant de figures au premier plan du cinéma, du monde audiovisuel et du service public.
Et quel plaisir d’être de retour dans un lieu si proche de mon cœur.
Lorsque j’étais Ambassadeur des États-Unis en France, j’avais promis à Monsieur le Maire que je viendrais chaque année à Deauville pour ce festival pendant mon mandat.
Et je suis fier de dire que j’ai tenu cette promesse.
Car je savais alors—comme je le sais aujourd’hui—que le cinéma est bien plus qu’un divertissement. Il représente un lien essentiel entre nos deux nations.
Au-delà de nos valeurs partagées, ce qui unit profondément les peuples de la France et d’Amérique, est leur amour du cinéma.
Merci de continuer cette tradition et de maintenir ce pont culturel qui nous unit.
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Friends and colleagues: whenever we gather in this town so rich in history and so steeped in cultural significance – we look back and we look forward.
We look back to the role of film as a binding force between our countries.
A medium that started with the frères Lumière in France and Thomas Edison in the United States…
A creative sector infused with talents like the great Pamela Anderson that we honor today…
A cultural cornerstone that was carried forward by lovers of film like Michel D’Ornano and Jack Valenti…
It has remained a foundation of our friendship, an avenue of transatlantic dialogue, a source of pride that knits us closer together.
Yet we look forward, too.
Here, we celebrate what the future holds for the field of cinema.
We pay tribute to the next generation of creative visionaries – recognizing rising filmmakers like Pauline Loquès, recipient of this year’s Prix d’Ornano-Valenti.
We anticipate stories not yet written, told by creators not yet on the scene, shared with audiences never knowing what’s in store.
But we know those stories are around the corner.
We know those storyboards are being dreamed up by a writer or director eager to bring a new idea to the big screen.
We know those storytellers are waiting in the wings, ready to take us on a journey to real-life towns and galaxies far, far away.
The MPA, alongside partners like the Franco-American Cultural Fund, takes pride in sustaining our nations’ shared passion for cinema and those who create it.
And Deauville is a place where our common spirit of exploration and inspiration takes center stage.
Where opportunities for collaboration are forged in the new Deauville Industry Encounters, bringing artists and professionals together to reimagine the future of filmmaking.
Where we embrace cinema as more than an art form, but a platform where values are shared and closer friendships are built — where what unites us, always, is the power of a great story.
Thank you for carrying forward that legacy.