The International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI) is pleased to announce that its second FIPRESCI Legacy Award will be presented to Un homme et une femme (A Man and a Woman, 1966) by Claude Lelouch, during the 18th Lumière Festival in Lyon, France.
Established in 2025 as part of FIPRESCI’s centenary celebrations, the Legacy Award recognizes films, filmmakers and institutions whose contributions have left a lasting mark on cinema history. Unlike the Federation’s traditional prizes, which celebrate contemporary filmmaking, this distinction turns the critical gaze towards cinema’s past, acknowledging works whose artistic significance continues to resonate across generations.
The second recipient, Un homme et une femme, arrives at the Lumière Festival on the occasion of its 60th anniversary. Claude Lelouch’s celebrated romance, starring Anouk Aimée and Jean-Louis Trintignant, follows two widowed people whose chance encounter in Deauville develops into an unexpected love story. Released in 1966, the film became an international success, winning the Palme d’Or at Cannes and two Academy Awards.
One of the defining works of Lelouch’s career, Un homme et une femme is remembered for its distinctive visual language, fluid interplay of colour and black-and-white cinematography, and the unforgettable musical score by Francis Lai. Its combination of emotional intimacy and formal experimentation helped establish Lelouch as one of the most recognizable voices in French cinema.
In its motivation for the second FIPRESCI Legacy Award, the Federation pays tribute not only to the film’s enduring significance, but also to the distinctive artistic personality and independence of its director:
“This year’s Legacy Award goes to a director whose romantic spirit and original filming style have left an indelible mark on international cinematography. His natural approach, his personal vision and his productive independence have shaped a prolific career of 55 films — and counting.
His film presented here tonight, Un homme et une femme, won the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival, two Academy Awards (Best Original Screenplay and Best Foreign Language Film), and a Best Director Oscar nomination.”
The award coincides with the presentation of a newly restored 4K version of Un homme et une femme, undertaken by Les Films 13 at Éclair Classics under Lelouch’s supervision, with the support of Cartier. The restoration will be screened at the Lumière Festival ahead of the film’s forthcoming theatrical rerelease, with Claude Lelouch attending the screenings.
Dedicated to classic cinema, restoration and the transmission of film heritage, the Lumière Festival provides a particularly fitting setting for the FIPRESCI Legacy Award. The distinction was inaugurated at the festival in October 2025, when Alain Resnais’ L’Amour à mort (Love Unto Death, 1984) became its first recipient, with Sabine Azéma and Pierre Arditi accepting the award.
With its second edition, the FIPRESCI Legacy Award continues to develop as a tribute to cinema’s enduring artistic achievements and to the importance of preserving, revisiting and critically engaging with film history.
©FIPRESCI 2026