Nawazuddin Siddiqui Honored at Fourth Annual French Riviera Film Festival

l-r Gilles Marini, Nicole Goesseringer Muj, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Vincent De Paul

Reported by: Taylor Lynn

International artistic excellence was honored at the fourth annual French Riviera Film Festival, held from May 20 – 21, 2022, at Eden Hotel & Spa. Award-winning Indian actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui received a Special Industry Excellence Award at the VIP opening reception of the festival held on May 20 at Bel-Air Fine Art Gallery. The award was presented by Emmy-winning actor Vincent De Paul.

Well known for his work in movies like Manto, Raman Raghav, Gangs of Wasseypur (Duology), Lunchbox, and TV series like Sacred Games and McMafia, Siddiqui graced the Cannes red carpet as part of the Indian government’s initiative to celebrate the diversity in art that India possesses. Recently, it was announced that he will play the lead in the new film Laxman Lopez, by director Roberto Girault, making him one of the first lead protagonists of Indian origin cast in a Hollywood film.

A special Lifetime Achievement award was also presented to Polish director Jerzy Skolimowksi at the opening ceremony, which was accepted by EO executive producer Eileen Tasca. Directed by Skolimowski, EO is part of the official Cannes Film Festival 2022 competition.

At the closing ceremony held on May 21st, Oscar-winning producer Kim Magnusson and director Martin Strange-Hansen from Denmark were awarded with Industry Excellence Awards for their 2022 Academy Award-nominated short On My Mind. Best acting nods were given to Arianna Veronesi for her work in FRFF finalist drama short Glaistig and to Turkish actor Cansel Elçin for his work in the film Down From The Clouds, which had its festival premiere at FRFF.

In attendance at the opening and closing receptions were Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Eileen Tasca, Kim Magnusson, Vincent De Paul, Gilles Marini, Eugenia Kuzmina, Cansel Elçin, Arianna Veronesi, Anna Fishbeyn, Eva Lanska, Wendy Morgan, Erika Stasiuleviciute, FRFF founder Nicole Goesseringer Muj, FRFF finalists and winners, and many others.

First launched in 2019, FRFF recognizes and celebrates short-form content created for film, television, web and all digital platforms. Scheduled during the time period of the Festival de Cannes, FRFF invites filmmakers from around the globe to participate in the two-day event that includes screenings, Global Entertainment Showcase, VIP receptions, and closing gala awards ceremony.

Official 2022 FRFF Festival Trailer:

Event partners include Eden Hotel and Spa, Beverly Hills Hotel, Bel-Air Fine Art, Chateau de Berne, The Good Gin, Cardinal du Four, DiFiore New York, Indie Entertainment Media, SPARQ, and filmfestivals.com. Gift bag partners include Byroe, Laritzy, Lipsmart, Mesolyft, Pour Moi, and The Fragrance Group.

FRFF is produced by Cloud 21 PR International and Kultura PR International.

Photos: Erick Seban-Meyer

Pictured Below: Kim Magnusson; Cansel Elçin and Nicole Goesseringer Muj; Arianna Veronesi; Eileen Tasca (executive producer of EO) and Nicole Goesseringer Muj.