GUESTS OF HONOR 2026: SOPHIE ET JÉRÔME SEYDOUX

Sophie_Jerome_Seydoux_c_Bertrand_Rindoff_Petroff_2

For its 14th edition, the International Classic Film Market welcomes two great friends of the Lumière Festival as its Guests of Honor: Sophie Seydoux, President of the Fondation Jérôme Seydoux-Pathé, and Jérôme Seydoux, Chairman of Pathé. An exceptional encounter, bringing together these two major figures of cinema for the first time.

Their careers are united by the same dedication to films, their history and their future. Through the Fondation Jérôme Seydoux-Pathé, Sophie Seydoux as been dedicated to the preservation and transmission of film heritage for many years. Films, posters, photographs and archives are preserved, studied and made accessible, ensuring that this cinematic heritage continues to be shared and discovered, while allowing these works to keep finding their way to new audiences. In recognition of this invaluable work, Sophie Seydoux received the Fabienne Vonier Prize, presented at the Lumière festival in 2020.

Jérôme Seydoux champions a vision of films produced primarily for the big screen. Pathé is involved in the production of films in both French and English and, whenever possible, aims to reach audiences worldwide. The recent success of La Bataille de Gaulle has notably shown that a French film can reach a very wide audience. Pathé continues its work to restore and re-release major works of film heritage. He is also interested in the evolution of cinemas, which must constantly adapt to changing audience tastes, as well as in new technologies that can enhance the cinema-going experience, while preserving what makes cinema on the big screen unique.

For Sophie and Jérôme Seydoux, keeping cinema alive means preserving films, passing them on and ensuring that they continue to find their audiences. It also means embracing the evolution of cinemas, so that the pleasure of discovering a film on the big screen remains a unique experience. Two complementary perspectives, united by the same ambition: to ensure that films continue to circulate, be passed on and reach new generations.

> Join us on Friday, October 16, on the closing day of the Market, for this exceptional conversation with Sophie and Jérôme Seydoux on the transmission of film heritage, the cinema-going experience and its future.

After studying economics and art, Sophie Seydoux took over as director of IFOP, a role she held for four years. A film enthusiast since her teenage years and a regular visitor to the Cinémathèque Française, she became an administrator there, a position she held for over twenty years. Since 2006, Sophie Seydoux has chaired the Jérôme Seydoux-Pathé Foundation, dedicated to the preservation and promotion of Pathé’s cinematic heritage. In September 2014, the Foundation inaugurated its new headquarters, designed by Renzo Piano, on Avenue des Gobelins in Paris. Open to all, the Foundation houses Pathé’s historical archives and offers, in particular, a programme of silent films accompanied by piano, as well as exhibitions and activities dedicated to the history of cinema.

Jerome_Seydoux_c-Bertrand-Rindoff-Petroff

Jérôme Seydoux is Chairman of Pathé. He began his career in banking in the 1960s. He ended his banking career as a member of the executive board of Neuflize Schlumberger Mallet. He served as Deputy Chief Executive, then Chief Executive of Schlumberger Ltd from 1970 to 1976. Then, in 1976, he acquired a stake in Pricel and became its Chairman. In 1980, Pricel and Chargeurs Réunis merged to form Chargeurs (maritime and air transport, textiles). In 1986, in partnership with Silvio Berlusconi, he launched La Cinq, France’s first free-to-air private television channel. This commitment to the media was further cemented by his entry into film production and distribution through his partnership with Claude Berri (1987) and his partnership with Rupert Murdoch to develop Europe’s first satellite TV package, BSkyB (1990), of which he was Chairman of the Board of Directors in 1998 and 1999. In 1990, Chargeurs acquired Pathé Cinéma. In June 1996, Chargeurs split into two companies: Chargeurs (industry) and Pathé (media). In 2002, the cinema exhibition operations of Gaumont and Pathé merged. Since then, Pathé’s business has continued to grow: Pathé has become the leading cinema company in the European Union, operating across various sectors including film production (France, United Kingdom), film distribution (France, United Kingdom, Switzerland, Africa, Benelux), and cinema exhibition (France, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Belgium, Tunisia, Morocco, Senegal, Côte d’Ivoire).