A distinction presented during the France-Mexico bicentennial
The presentation at the Centro Cultural Clavijero honored Cuarón's contributions to contemporary cinema and his individual artistic vision. It also formed part of celebrations marking 200 years of diplomatic relations between France and Mexico.
Cuarón's son, filmmaker Jonás Cuarón, and his brother, Carlos Cuarón, accompanied him to the auditorium, according to the festival. The audience included film industry members, festivalgoers and representatives of French film institutions.
FICM leaders attending included founder and general director Daniela Michel, president Alejandro Ramírez Magaña and vice president Cuauhtémoc Cárdenas Batel.
France's Ministry of Culture established the Order of Arts and Letters, or Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, on May 2, 1957, to honor significant achievements in art and literature, according to MiMorelia. Other Mexican recipients include actress María Félix, filmmakers Alejandro González Iñárritu and Gael García Bernal, writer Jorge Volpi and opera singer Rolando Villazón.
The festival also noted Cuarón's Academy Awards record: his 2013 film "Gravity" received 10 nominations and won seven Oscars. Its Best Director award made him the first Latin American filmmaker to win in that category.
The French influences behind his films
Accepting the decoration, Cuarón conveyed both surprise and emotion. He described his relationship with France as one rooted in culture rather than family ancestry, encompassing literature, music, philosophy and film.
He named Michel de Montaigne, Charles Baudelaire and Antoine de Saint-Exupéry among the writers who shaped him, alongside composers Pierre Boulez and François Couperin. His recollections also returned to Juárez, Condesa and Roma, the Mexico City neighborhoods of his childhood and youth. He reflected on how French influences in architecture, literature and other forms of expression have become part of Mexico's cultural identity.
One early example from his own work was the 1983 short "Quartet for the End of Time." According to the festival, Cuarón called it "a work of faith and hope" and said it drew inspiration from Georges Perec's novel "A Man Asleep."
Cuarón described cinema as more than a vehicle for plot and dialogue. Images, rhythm and the unfolding of time, he argued, can evoke emotion and memory while shaping how viewers perceive reality.
He linked that approach to his influences, including the freedom of form associated with France's Nouvelle Vague. In discussing "Roma" and "Y tu mamá también," he recalled references and tributes to films and directors that had helped educate him as an artist.
Younger voices and the possibility of renewal
His remarks also addressed political and social conditions in France. Speaking about younger generations' demands, Cuarón expressed hope that their voices would receive a hearing rather than be exploited for opportunistic purposes.
He closed by drawing on writer Pascal Quignard's thinking about art and time. Cuarón connected the possible end of a historical period with the prospect of renewal, presenting art as a place for expression, transformation and hope.
French cinema in the festival program
The 24th FICM runs October 16-25, 2026, bringing together filmmakers, producers, critics and audiences from Mexico and abroad. Jonás Cuarón's "Campeón Gabacho" opened this year's edition.
The bicentennial celebrations also extend to the festival's French programming. MiMorelia reported a selection of eight features and one short from Cannes Critics' Week, including the Mexican premiere of Félix de Givry's "Adieu monde cruel." Cannes Critics' Week artistic director Ava Cahen was attending.
Another part of the French program is a posthumous tribute to actress and writer Florence Delay, who died in July 2025. The screenings include Robert Bresson's "The Trial of Joan of Arc," Chris Marker's "Sans Soleil" and Emilio Maillé's documentary "Los años Arruza."
