Macron awards French Legion of Honour to Pedro Almodóvar and Javier Cercas in Madrid

Investiture at Casa de Velázquez

French President Emmanuel Macron conferred France's Legion of Honour upon filmmaker Pedro Almodóvar and author Javier Cercas during a formal state visit to Madrid on 30 September 2026. The ceremony took place in the courtyard behind the marble arch of the Casa de Velázquez cultural institution in the Spanish capital. Almodóvar received the insignia of Officer of the Legion of Honour, while Cercas was invested as a Knight of the civil order. French First Lady Brigitte Macron assisted in presenting the medals alongside President Macron in front of Spanish government officials. Members of Cercas's family occupied the front rows alongside collaborators from Almodóvar's film production company, El Deseo. Guests included film producer Agustín Almodóvar, seated next to the Spanish head of government, alongside actors Bibiana Fernández and Elena Anaya, and composer Alberto Iglesias.

Sánchez on cultural representation

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez delivered the opening address of the gathering, framing the honorees as central figures in defining modern Spain for domestic and international audiences. Sánchez stated that their combined bodies of work had taught citizens to look at their country in a different manner and allowed the wider world to view Spain through fresh eyes. In his speech, the prime minister imagined a French viewer recognizing their own mother on screen while watching a depiction of a mother from La Mancha in one of Almodóvar's films. Sánchez also referenced Cercas's literary exploration of Spanish historical memory, citing the novelist's premise that understanding the past is never as simple as it appears. Following the ceremony, Sánchez shared an official message on the social network X thanking both men for turning Spain into a cultural powerhouse.

Above all, thank you for having helped us all look beyond.

Macron pays tribute to Almodóvar and Cercas

President Macron took the lectern for the French address, asking Almodóvar and Cercas to step forward from their chairs beside the speaking stand to receive the secular honours. Macron opened his remarks by stating that both creators had spent decades explaining the reality of contemporary Spain to foreign publics. The French leader reviewed Almodóvar's career arc, recounting his childhood in La Mancha where he collected trading cards of cinema actors packaged inside chocolate bars. Macron argued that Almodóvar's filmography stood as a model of artistic audacity, defined by themes of desire and transgression since his earliest works. The address noted the director's consistent portrayal of women and his focus on imperfect, compelling mothers who mirrored the broader transformation of post-Franco Spanish society.

With his cinema, he has made freedom.

Franco-Spanish cultural ties

During his address, Macron repeated three times that Almodóvar's style and sensibilities resembled those of a French film director. The filmmaker listened without his trademark sunglasses and spoke directly to the French president at the conclusion of the formal remarks. The event at Casa de Velázquez formed part of Macron's broader bilateral state visit schedule alongside Prime Minister Sánchez in Madrid. French officials from the Élysée Palace confirmed the conferrals as France's highest decorations for civil merit awarded during the diplomatic visit.