On 30 September 2026, Pedro Almodóvar and Javier Cercas stood before Emmanuel Macron at Madrid's Casa Velázquez. During his state visit to Spain, the French president made Almodóvar an officer of the Legion of Honour and Cercas an officer of the Order of Arts and Letters.
After Macron finished speaking, he asked both men to leave their chairs beside the lectern. Beneath Casa Velázquez's marble arch, he stood before them as sunlight fell across his forehead and the two honourees faced him at close range. Then came the formal republican ritual.
A day before the ceremony, Javier Cercas took part in a public discussion with Emmanuel Macron and students in Madrid. Reports noted that the French president and the writer had known each other since 2023.
Macron's speech laid out the event's basic idea: Almodóvar and Cercas have helped audiences outside Spain understand the country. He began with Almodóvar's childhood in La Mancha, where the future filmmaker collected actors' cards from chocolate bars.
Macron then turned to the director's treatment of desire and freedom, including transgression. He spoke about the mothers and imperfect women at the centre of Almodóvar's films. In his account, those characters represented a cinema that tracked Spain's social change while ignoring conventional limits.
The president also returned to Almodóvar's almost French sensibility. Almodóvar replied quietly: “Thank you very much.” This was not the director's first French distinction. AFP, in a report republished by BTA, recalled that he had already been made a knight of the Legion of Honour at the Cannes Film Festival in 1997.
Cercas received a different introduction. Macron called him a perfect example of the European man and praised writing that enters history's darkest periods without giving up hope.
Macron referred to Soldados de Salamina and its soldier Miralles, who chooses not to kill the fleeing Sánchez Mazas. The scene helped Macron describe a recurring figure in Cercas's work: heroes who never wanted the part.
The president also praised Cercas's articles in EL PAÍS, saying they bring together philosophy and literary criticism while engaging in political combat focused on Spain and Europe. Cercas's description of the European Union as the continent's only reasonable utopia also suited the political setting in Madrid.
Pedro Sánchez had already presented both men as interpreters of Spain. In his opening remarks, the prime minister said their work had taught audiences to see the country differently. He pictured a French viewer discovering a mother from La Mancha on screen, then connected that experience with Cercas's lessons about the past.
For Sánchez, the historical message was complex. Cercas's work insists that the past cannot be reduced to the first explanation available. The symbolism was clear: France was recognising Spanish culture through two creators honoured by the head of the French Republic.
The audience showed how far Almodóvar's circle reaches. His brother Agustín sat beside Sánchez, while Bibiana Fernández wore a striking green dress. Elena Anaya and Alberto Iglesias were there, along with other figures linked to El deseo, Cercas's family and Almodóvar's relatives.
The ceremony continued after the speeches. Macron arranged the first photograph, called family members forward and directed each person to a position. After the event, he crossed the Casa Velázquez courtyard. Cinema and literature shared the frame with European identity.
The ceremony also belongs to the wider public life of Spanish figures documented in a Seville report. This event focused on another form of public authority: culture's power to shape how Spain is understood abroad.
Spain's government agenda and Casa Real placed the ceremony within Macron's state visit on 29 and 30 September 2026. Officials presented the visit as a way to strengthen ties between France and Spain. Casa Real confirmed the dates and programme, which included the presentation of the honours at Casa Velázquez.
The Elysee Palace had announced the planned awards before the ceremony. BFMTV and Le Figaro reported on the announcement, as did Mediapart, citing the French presidency. The French distinctions were later presented in Madrid.
Almodóvar was recognised for a cinema shaped by freedom and social change. Cercas was honoured for turning historical conflict into stories about moral choice. The ceremony placed both careers within the European cultural debate Macron defended in Madrid.
