On September 13, 2021, Bérangère Travard, Deputy Consul General at the Consulate General of France in Chicago, awarded Mimi Plauché, artistic director of the Chicago International Film Festival, with the insignia of Chevalier dans l'Ordre des Arts et Lettres in a ceremoney held at during the festival’s annual fundraising gala. Deputy Consul General Bérangère Travard presented the award on behalf of the French Minister of Culture.
Mimi Plauché was officially recognized for her lifetime passion and dedication to French culture, in particular French cinema. For the past 15 years, Mimi has played an essential role at the Chicago International Film Festival, first as film programmer in short and documentary, then as feature programmer, and since 2016, as Artistic Director.
“Through your work, you have tremendously contributed to promoting French cinema in Chicago and in the United States. You are one of our strongest allies in bringing French movies to American audiences and by making French movies one of the main pillars of this festival,” said Deputy Consul General Travard. “Not only do you promote the most recent French features, but you also draw in a new generation of audiences to enjoy the best of French animation and virtual reality in partnership with the cultural services of the Consulate.”
“It is a tremendous honor to receive this distinction,” said Plauché. “Ever since I was young, tagging along with my parents to the theater to see the latest masterwork by François Truffaut, Claude Chabrol, Agnes Varda, or Louis Malle, French cinema has been an essential and sustaining part of my film life. It has also had an enduring legacy over the 57 years of the Chicago International Film Festival. It is a privilege to enrich this tradition, as we continue to present and celebrate exciting rising talents alongside the great auteurs of the 21st century.”
The Ordre des Arts et des Lettres was created in 1957. It recognizes those who have contributed significantly to furthering the arts and culture in France and around the world.