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Michel Hazanavicius presented The Artist at the 15th FICM

French director Michel Hazanavicius, Special Guest of the 15th Morelia International Film Festival (FICM), presented the film The Artist (2011).

"It is a pleasure to present a very beloved film. It deserves to be seen many times; was very successful in festivals, won the Oscar. It's another film by the French director about the cinema, like Le redoutable," said FICM's general director Daniela Michel.

Daniela Michel, Michel Hazanavicius.

The artist, produced in France, the United States and Belgium, won five Oscars in 2012, Best Picture and Best Director, among them; it won the Best Film award at the Golden Globe Awards 2012, the BAFTA Awards 2012, the 2012 César Awards, the Lumière Awards 2012 and the San Sebastian International Film Festival 2012.

It tells the story of a silent movie star who meets a young dancer as the arrival of sound cinema takes them in opposite directions.

"It's a weird story, like a fairy tale. I didn't think we would get the money, but we did and we went to festivals, although it was not very popular," Hazanavicius said.

The director fondly recalled how the film went from less to more where it appeared: "I just watched it grow. I directed the film, but I did not make it successful. The artist is a tiny movie, very fragile. It is very touching, after six years, to see an audience to see it in cinemas. Thank you, Morelia."

The director of FICM said she was grateful to have Hazanavicius present The Artist in Morelia: "We met at the Sarajevo Festival. It is a gift to me that you have come to present it."