A famous Russian film director Andrei Konchalovsky was honoured with the highest French award - the National Order of the Legion of Honour - for his contribution to the world's cinematograph. Such a high award was given to Mr. Konchalovsky by Gilles Jacob, the president of the Cannes International Film Festival.

      The solemn ceremony took place in a fashionable French hotel "Bristol", which is the usual place for staying celebrities and holding big events.

        Gilles Jacob gave a long speech in Konchalovsky's honour, saying that he became "one of the few directors of not Anglo-Saxon origin, who was able to make a successful career in Hollywood". He also mentioned of cultural links of Konchalovsky's family with France.

      "For me you will always be an "artist" of Russian nature, Russian land , which is so perfectly demonstrated in your famous film "Sibiriada", that I was so glad to choose in the Cannes Festival's program. The film gained a grand prix and paved you the way to an American cinematograph, which became a quite difficult, but successful experience for you. But France is the country which appreciates you best of all.", Jacob added. 

        In his turn, Andrei Konchalovsky gave a speech in French, where admiitted he wanted to stay in France, after he had left Russia. He still wishes to make a French film, one of the possible sources is a book "The Royal Way" by a French writer André Malraux. "It is a great novel, which can be transformed to a great film", RIA Novosti quoted Konchalovsky as saying.

      Andrei Konchalovsky is not the only Russian, who was given the National French Order. It was awarded to an artist Nikolay Rerikh and a poet Joseph Brodsky, musicians Mstislav Rostropovich and Galina Vishnevskaya, ballerina Maya Plisetskaya and director of the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg Mikhail Piotrovsky.

        For Andrey Konchalovsky the Legion of Honour will be the second case of official recognition of his special merits by France. In 2005 he was awarded another national French order - the Order of Arts and Letters. 

Sources: KP RiA Novosti Image: lb.ua

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