The ‘Hachette Foundation’ will become

During the awards ceremony for the Grants provided by the “Hachette Foundation“, Arnaud Lagardère announced the renaming of the “Hachette Foundation“, which will become the ” Jean-Luc Lagardère Foundation” in 2004.

Established 14 years ago at the behest of Jean-Luc Lagardère, the “Hachette Foundation” focuses its activities on three main sectors of patronage : French in the world, culture in hospital, and grants for young professionals in the cultural and media arenas.

The foundation has now reached a turning point and, to continue his father’s work, Arnaud Lagardère – general partner of Lagardère SCA and President of the “Hachette Foundation” – has decided to rename it the “Jean-Luc Lagardère Foundation” : “A foundation whose calling shall be based on the values that Jean-Luc Lagardère carried within him and which shall become a timeless institution via its new ambitions, to be divulged during the coming year” Independence, boldness, steadfastness and creativity: “The “Jean-Luc Lagardère Foundation” shall live up to its image, which is founded on generosity, brotherhood and solidarity“, continued Arnaud Lagardère in his opening speech.

In 2003, during the ceremony for the “Jean-Luc Lagardère” awards, Arnaud Lagardère created and presented a new grant, valued at 25,000 euros, to recognize young musicians with an original and innovative project for the recording of a new CD.

The awards ceremony, which took place underneath the Pyramide du Louvre, on 25 November 2003, was attended by an assortment of key figures from the realms of culture and the media, all on hand to acclaim the new talents recognized in 2003.

During the event, hosted by Michel Field (Europe 1 Radio) and Priscille Lacombe (editor-in-chief of the magazine Toulouse Télévision), eight grants were presented to the winners by the presidents of their respective juries :

• Edmonde Charles-Roux (writer jury),
• Laurent Joffrin (journalism/printed media jury),
• Sabine Weiss (photographer jury),
• Denis Mollat (bookseller jury),
• Didier Decoin (TV screenwriter jury),
• Pierre Lescure (film producer jury),
• Joël de Rosnay (digital creations jury)
• Patrick Zelnik (musician jury).

Grant Winners 2003
“Jean-Luc Lagardère” awards

The Writer Grant (€25,000)

was awarded to David Foenkinos, 30, for his book project entitled “Le Potentiel érotique de ma femme“.

The Young Bookseller Grant (€30,000) was presented to Claire Lesobre, 32, and Anne Lesobre, 35, for their general-interest bookstore concept, Entre les lignes, in downtown Creil.

The Journalist Grant (€10,000) was given to Camille Dattée, 28, for her project to report on young French people aged 16 to 30 who have chosen to live on the fringes of society and who reject all of the constraints of what they call “the system”.

The Photographer and Reporter Grant (€15,000) was won by Eric Baudelaire, 30, for his project, “Photographing the Eastern borders, from Turkey to the steps of the Caucasus and the Middle East” – a report on the likely boundaries of tomorrow’s Europe.

The Producer Grant (€50,000) was presented to Gaëlle Jones for her project “Depopulation”, a feature film directed by S. Louis. It depicts a world devoid of future in which ordinary people, faced with the imminence of their death, struggle in order not to be completely swallowed up by despair.

The TV Screenwriter Grant (€12,000) was given to Gioacchino Campanella, 30, for his comedy project about a successful 40-year-old writer who attempts to avenge himself for his wife’s infidelity by disguising himself in order to meet, seduce and humiliate her. Of course, he gets caught in his own trap.

The Digital Creations Grant (€25,000) was awarded to Sylvain Hourany, 25, for his project “Sonoise“, a free artistic site devoted to noise.

The Musician Grant (€25,000) was presented to Jean-Baptiste Robin, 27, to enable him to record the complete works for organ composed by Felix Mendelssohn in the 19th century.