At Cannes, Nicole Kidman received the Women In Motion 2025 award. More than a tribute to her career, this award recognizes an actress who, for over twenty years, has made cinema a field of commitment for women.

Twilight falls on the Croisette. The sea breeze glides between the palm trees of the Palais des Festivals, where Cannes celebrates not only cinema, but those who shape it. On May 18, 2025, the Festival honors a singular voice: Nicole Kidman, to whom Kering and the Cannes Festival have awarded the Women In Motion 2025 Prize.
This prize, launched ten years ago, recognizes women who have advanced the position of women in the 7th art. This is the story of an actress who has never ceased to shake up representations and to invest her fame in the service of powerful female narratives.

Kidman wasn't born an activist, but she became one through her demanding choices. As early as To Die For (1995), she twisted the smooth image of the Hollywood star by playing a newscaster willing to do anything to succeed, in a chilling satire of the media. In 1999, under the direction of Stanley Kubrick, she revealed a deeply moving interiority in Eyes Wide Shut, courageously asserting the complexity of female desire.
Her subsequent roles, from The Hours (Oscar 2003) to Lars von Trier's Dogville and Jonathan Glazer's Birth, paint the portrait of an actress who does not shy away from the abyss, nor from radicalism. She places her body at the service of roles that question power, pain, maternity and symbolic violence.

In 2010, Nicole Kidman founded her own production company, Blossom Films. Far from being a mere vehicle for her own projects, it became a springboard for stories by women, both in front of and behind the camera. Big Little Lies, which she co-produced and starred in, became a worldwide phenomenon. The series tackles domestic violence, class tensions and sisterhood dynamics head-on, while spotlighting a largely female creative team.
When Kidman appeared at Cannes in 2017 for Sofia Coppola's Les Proies, she declared her intention to work with a female director every 18 months. Eight years later, she has kept her promise: 19 female directors have collaborated with her since then. It's not a slogan, it's an action pact.

A discreet but determined activist

Si Nicole Kidman ne clame pas son activisme à chaque discours, elle agit depuis longtemps. En tant qu’ambassadrice de bonne volonté pour l’UNICEF, puis pour UN Women, elle œuvre pour les droits des femmes et des enfants dans le monde. Elle soutient la recherche contre le cancer aux côtés de son mari, Keith Urban, avec qui elle a levé plusieurs millions de dollars pour des causes de santé publique.
À Cannes, elle a rappelé combien il était “essentiel de continuer à ouvrir des portes, pour que les jeunes filles d’aujourd’hui deviennent les réalisatrices de demain”. Une conviction profonde, incarnée dans ses gestes concrets.

By 2025, 32% of films in official competition at Cannes were directed by women. An encouraging figure, but a reminder that the road to true parity is still a long one. The Women In Motion program, launched in 2015 by Kering, is working to bring about this transformation. In ten years, it has supported hundreds of initiatives, promoted research into gender inequalities and spotlighted committed figures in the industry.
In honoring Nicole Kidman, it celebrates an artist at the service of a cinema that liberates rather than freezes. A cinema where women are not just muses, but authors of their own destiny.

An evening of committed elegance

On the evening of May 18, the Place de la Castre was transformed into an open stage for beauty and intelligence. The Women In Motion Awards 2025 Presidential Dinner brought together a host of celebrities to celebrate this landmark edition of the Festival. Many of them wore Gucci creations, illustrating the collaboration between art, fashion and message.

Juliette Binoche, president of the jury, wore an embroidered high-neck dress from the Gucci autumn-winter 2025 collection, accompanied by a green silk scarf. Halle Berry sparkled in a crystal gown. Salma Hayek Pinault wore an emerald-green creation embellished with feathers and fine jewelry. Dakota Johnson, Julia Ducournau, Julia Garner, Daisy Edgar-Jones, Paul Mescal, Zhang Linghe, Kim Gordon, Noée Abita - all exemplified this fusion of commitment and refinement.