Odessa A’Zion and Connor Swindells Receive Chopard Trophies at Cannes Event

The Cannes Film Festival organizers joined the luxury jeweler’s representative at Carlton Beach on Friday night for the annual trophy gala that honors two actors selected as next-generation talents. French actress Isabelle Huppert presented the awards after describing the responsibility seriously.

She stated that the trophy recognizes a movement, a promise, something that is already there yet still in the process of becoming.

Huppert added that to be an actor means to always be becoming. She noted that Cannes is a place of memory but also a place of birth, and that every year new faces appear to enrich a story that constantly reveals itself. She told the recipients she does not wish them success, which she described as uncertain, capricious and sometimes deceptive.

Instead she wished them freedom to choose, to refuse, to explore unexpected territories, to be themselves and to dream. Odessa A’Zion called the experience really weird, crazy and surreal. She said she had never been to Cannes before and never thought this would happen the first time she came.

A’Zion added that she does not know why she was chosen but is grateful. She described watching her highlight reel as a horrifying experience while noting that many actors she admires are part of the award’s lineage. A’Zion gained attention this year for her role in the film Marty Supreme opposite several well-known performers.

She also appears as a series regular in the show I Love LA and has several upcoming projects lined up. Connor Swindells received the other trophy. He said he rather enjoyed seeing his career highlights on screen.

Swindells ended his remarks with a reference to his late mother Phoebe, who died of cancer when he was a child. He stated that this would not be possible without her and that she has been an amazing spirit with him all this time. The evening was described by one of the festival leaders as one of the best of the festival.

Attendees included multiple jury members and other actors and industry figures.