Isabelle Huppert awarded the Prix Lumière & 10 key takeaways from her masterclass in Lyon

To mark the 15th anniversary of the Lumière Film Festival, Isabelle Huppert was awarded the prestigious Prix Lumière at the traditional award ceremony, held last night at the Amphithéâtre 3000 in Lyon.

With an audience including the likes of Alfonso Cuarón, Claire Denis, Noémie Merlant, Anthony Delon, James Franco, Emmanuelle Béart and Julien Clerc (who took to the stage to play his famous song ‘Ma Préférence’ in honour of the evening’s main star), Huppert came on stage to receive her prize. She joins an illustrious list of past recipients, including Martin Scorsese, Jane Fonda, Quentin Tarantino, Jane Campion, Pedro Almodóvar and Wong Kar-wai.

“I was told that the Lumière prize was special, but it's much more than I could have imagined, and yet I have a lot of imagination,” she shared, visibly moved and referencing the honour of being awarded a prize so intimately linked to the history of cinema.

Speaking about looking back at the past and looking to the future, she finally emphasised the importance of the present, “this joyous and wonderful moment full of emotion.”

Check out the video above for clips of the evening, as well as reactions from some of the celebrities present at the award ceremony last night, which Euronews Culture got to interview.

Prior to the awards ceremony, Huppert participated in a masterclass, a rare exercise for the actress, who isn’t a huge fan of discussing her work and career in public.

The on-stage conversation was with Lumière Film Festival boss and Cannes chief Thierry Frémaux, with the likes of Claire Denis and François Ozon, who both directed Huppert in White Material and 8 Women, as well as Coralie Fargeat (The Substance) and Anthony Delon sitting in the audience. She spoke openly and