The 2010 Fondation Jean-Luc Lagardère grant winners: Grants awarded to eleven talented young professionals in the arts and media

Since 1990, the Fondation Jean-Luc Lagardère has awarded grants to young professionals under the age of 30 (35 for booksellers) in the fields of culture and the media to help them realize their professional projects. These grants are more than just financial rewards; they are a springboard for the next stage of their careers. Frédéric Sautereau, winner of the 2002 Special Photographer Award, for example, was presented with the 2010 daily press Visa d’Or at the Visa Pour l’Image festival of photojournalism in Perpignan.

On 1 February, at the Pompidou Centre in Paris (3rd arrondissement), the Fondation Jean-Luc Lagardère held its 21st annual awards ceremony to present grants to 11 young professionals in the fields of culture and the media who submitted original and innovative projects in the following categories: Documentary Filmmaker, Animation Filmmaker, Digital Creator, Writer, Print Journalist, Bookseller, Musician, Photographer and Film Producer*.

The total amount awarded this year was €240,000.

The 11 winners in 2010

• Documentary Filmmaker Grant (€25,000)
  Claire Billet, 29
  Project: a documentary on development aid in Afghanistan.
• Animation Filmmaker Grant (€30,000)
  Julien Bisaro, 29
  Project: “Bang, bang!”, a short 16-minute animation film.
• Digital Creator Grant (€25,000)
  Salomon Baneck-Asaro, 28
  Project: an “augmented dance” show combining dance, hip hop and digital arts.
• Writer Grant (€25,000)
  Vincent Message, 27
  Project: a second novel on the world of work and business.
• Print Journalist Grant (€10,000)
  Marie Bourreau, 30
  Project: following American veterans undergoing surgery for bad facial injuries on their return from the frontline in Iraq and Afghanistan.

*The Television Screenwriter Grant was not awarded this year. The jury considered that the projects presented needed further development.

• Bookseller Grant (€30,000)
  Sébastien Bonifay, 34, and Pierre Negrel, 35
  Project: organizing events on books, writers and the public.
• Special Award (€5,000)
  Nathalie Gerbault, 33
  Project: developing a special collection of books for children with a range of disabilities (mental, physical, psychological, etc.)

• Musician Grant – (€25,000)
  Varduhi Yeritsyan, 29
  Project: recording a double disc of Russian music, the first devoted to Prokofiev, the second to works for children.
• Photographer Grant (€15,000)
  Clémence de Limburg, 30
  Project: a photographic study of little people around the world.
• Film Producer Grant (€50,000)
  Damien Couvreur, 30
  Project: producing Moka, Frédéric Mermoud’s second feature film.

The Fondation Jean-Luc Lagardère grant winners are selected by prestigious judging panels presided over by high-profile individuals active in the media, the arts and culture: Philippe Authier (Bookseller Jury), Pascale Breugnot (Television Screenwriter Jury), Serge Bromberg (Animation Filmmaker Jury), Edmonde Charles-Roux (Writer Jury), Jean-Marie Colombani (Print Journalist Jury), Peter Knapp (Photographer Jury), Pierre Lescure (Film Producer Jury), Bruno Patino (Digital Creator Jury), Olivier Stroh (Documentary Filmmaker Jury), Marc Thonon (Musician Jury).

Photos of the winners are available from the Fondation Jean-Luc Lagardère.

• Registrations for the 2011 grant awards open next spring on the Fondation Jean-Luc Lagardère website: www.fondation-jeanluclagardere.com