The Opéra National de Paris has announced the recipients of the 2023 Mortier Awards, named in honor of Gerard Mortier, the director of the company between 2004-09.

Taking home the Mortier Award was Ariane Mnouchkine, celebrated for her life’s work. The French stage director was renowned for her avant-garde theater productions. She was also nominated for an Oscar for Best Screenplay for “L’Homme de Rio” and directed the film “1789” and the Palme d’Or nominated “Molière.”

Meanwhile, the Mortier Next Generation Award went to Jeffrey Döring, who will receive 30,000 euros from the Pierre Bergé – Yves Saint Laurent Foundation as well as a scholarship from the Wissenschaftskolleg in Berlin.

The awards will be presented on Feb. 29, 2024 at the Paris Opera.

“Many of us know him as a man of letters, a brilliant, visionary, committed, uncompromising man who liked to shake up conservatism,” said Alexander Neef, the current General Director of the Paris Opera. “But he was also attentive, courteous, demanding and generous. He was all that for me, and much more. Throughout my years at his side, at the Salzburg Festival and then at the Ruhrtriennale and the Paris Opera, I benefited from the kindness and generosity of Gerard Mortier, who was very sensitive to the idea of supporting a new generation of opera directors.”

The Mortier Award was first awarded in 2014 while The Mortier Next Generation Award was created by Serge Dorny in 2021-22.