The Jean-Luc Lagardère Foundation announces its 2008 grant recipients: Fourteen young culture and media professionals honoured

Awarded annually since 1989, the Jean-Luc Lagardère Foundation grants offer support for project completion to young professionals under age 30 (35 for booksellers) working in the fields of culture and the media. Much more than mere financial aid, these grants represent a veritable springboard for recipients’ future careers, as was demonstrated by 1992 Film Producer grant winner, Carole Scotta, who produced Entre les murs (directed by Laurent Cantet), the Palme d’Or winner at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival.

Spotlight on the 2008 awards
At this evening’s awards ceremony at the Theatre du Châtelet in the heart of Paris, the Jean-Luc Lagardère Foundation will – for the 19th consecutive year – present grants to 14 young arts, culture and media professionals who submitted original, innovative projects in the following categories: Writer, Film Producer, TV Scriptwriter, Musician, Bookseller, Print Journalist, Photographer, Documentary Director, Animated Film Director and Digital Artist.

The total grant amount this year was €285,000.

The 14 grant winners for 2008

• Documentary Director Grant – €25,000
  Geraldine Sroussi – age 29
  Her project: recounting the history of Guelakh, a Pulaar village in Senegal.
• Digital Artist Grant – €25,000
  Laurent Le Gouanvic and Sokha Duong – ages 30 and 27
  Their project: developing a multimedia information platform on Cambodia and Cambodians with a network of correspondents and digital support.
• Special Award – €10,000
  Olivier Carpentier – age 29
  His project: developing an Internet portal to promote an audio book.
• Writer Grant – €25,000
  Julien Santoni – age 29
  His project: completing his second novel, which recounts the plight of a family caught in the maelstrom of history between 2003, the first year of the Iraq war, and 2005 (or 2007?).
• Animated Film Director Grant – €30,000
  Hélène Friren – age 29
  Her project: directing a three-minute short on the vagaries of a relationship between a character and his pet.
• Print Journalist Grant – €10,000
  Guillaume Pitron – age 28
  His project: following the route of gum arabic from the Sudan to France and the United States.
• Bookseller Grant – €30,000
  Sandrine Gauzère – age 34
  Her project: enlarging her general-interest bookstore, Le Monde d’Arthur, in Meaux.
• Special Award – €10,000
  Manon Godeau – age 30
  Her project: expanding her youth-oriented bookstore, Gargan’mots, in Betton.
• Musician Grant – €25,000
  Mathieu Languille of the music group Montgomery – age 28
  His project: finalizing the recording of Montgomery’s second album.
• Special Award – €10,000
  Sarah Lavaud – age 26
  Her project: recording the chamber-music works of Charles Koechlin.
• Photographer Grant – €15,000
  Olivia Arthur – age 28
  Her project: a photo-report on India’s caste system and social hierarchies.
• Film Producer Grant – €50,000
  Catherine Bozorgan – age 28
  Her project: producing Les années sauvages (directed by Simon Moutaïrou), a feature-length film that examines the integration problems of recent decades involving second-generation North Africans living in France (often referred to as “Beurs”).
• TV Scriptwriter Grant – €20,000
  Naël Marandin – age 27
  His project: writing Il nous reste la nuit, a thriller with social dimensions that takes place in the heart of Paris’ infamous Belleville district.

Jean-Luc Lagardère Foundation Grant recipients are selected by prestigious judging panels chaired by well-known figures from the arts, culture and media: Edmonde Charles-Roux, (Writer panel), Pierre Lescure (Film Producer panel), Alain Louyot (Print Journalist panel), Peter Knapp (Photographer panel), Jean-Marie Sevestre (Bookseller panel), Alain Fleischer (Digital Artist panel), Marc Thonon (Musician panel), Pascale Breugnot (TV Scriptwriter panel), Serge Bromberg (Animated Film Director panel) and Hervé Chabalier (Documentary Director panel).

Photos of the grant winners are available from our press service.

Candidate selection for 2009 will commence in the spring of 2009 via the Jean-Luc Lagardère Foundation website.

About the Jean-Luc Lagardère Foundation
The Jean-Luc Lagardère Foundation’s mission includes encouraging new forms of writing in both literature and music, supporting the careers of talented young creative minds and providing access to culture for the masses. The foundation also aims to promote French culture at international level, and to turn culture and sports into catalysts for social cohesion and cultural empowerment. www.fondation-jeanluclagardere.com