Florian Zeller, the Oscar-winning manager and playwright of “The Father” and “The Son,” received the Medal of Honor, France’s highest decoration, astatine an intimate ceremonial Successful Paris connected Wednesday.

The event, hosted successful the gardens of the French authors and composers guild (SACD), gathered a flurry of endowment and luminaries from the worlds of film, TV, theatre and lit — reflecting the breadth of Zeller’s assemblage of work. Zeller was appointed Knight of the Legion of Honor by France President Emmanuel Macron.

Guests included Isabelle Huppert, Pierre Arditi, Catherine Frot and Elodie Navarre who person starred successful Zeller’s plays; Christopher Hampton, with whom helium shares a champion adapted screenplay Oscar for “The Father;” “Simone” histrion Elsa Zylberstein; Mediawan brag Pierre-Antoine Capton, with whom helium launched the L.A.-based institution Blue Morning Pictures; Victoria Bedos (“La famille Belier”); Orange Studio’s Kristina Zimmermann and Sebastien Cauchon, who distributed some “The Father” and “The Son” successful France; French vocalist Julien Clerc; French manager Anne Fontaine and shaper Philippe Carcassonne; arsenic good arsenic Zeller’s wife, Marine Delterme, an histrion who was precocious signed by WME.

Zeller was introduced connected signifier by Arditi, who starred successful immoderate of Zeller’s astir fashionable plays, including “The Truth.”

“My way is an summation of successive passions,” said Zeller, whose plays person been staged successful 45 countries, much than immoderate different playwright.

“When I begun to constitute novels, I didn’t ideate for a 2nd that 1 day, theatre would instrumentality up truthful overmuch room, and erstwhile I started penning plays I didn’t expect that cinema would capable my bosom truthful much, and present I dedicate my clip to it, portion taking pleasance successful imagining that possibly successful 10 years I volition beryllium doing thing else,” continued Zeller, who was elegantly dressed successful a navy suit by Emmanuel Zegna.

Zeller besides paid tribute to his begetter who gave him “the sensation of elsewhere, of America,” and his mother, a “marvelous editor” who “inspired” him. “She illuminated my puerility and adolescence with her endowment for recounting stories and tales. Many times I person done things portion hoping it would marque her proud,” said Zeller, who besides thanked his woman Marine for embarking with him connected a caller beingness successful L.A. with their 2 sons.

Zeller, whose latest movie “The Son” starring Hugh Jackman and Laura Dern premiered astatine Venice, volition adjacent service connected the planetary assemblage of the Jerusalem Film Festival alongside Claire Denis, Whit Stillman, Joana Vincent and Maria Schrader. Zeller earned a whooping six Oscar nominations with his directorial diagnostic debut “The Father,” earning Anthony Hopkins a champion histrion award.

Illustrious recipients of France’s legion of grant includes Robert Redford, Miles Davis, David Lynch, Charlie Chaplin, Toni Morrison and Josephine Baker.