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The Franco-Syrian author Riad Sattouf won the Grand Prix de la Ville d’Angoulême, as part of the international comic strip festival, the 50th edition of which has just started. The creator of “The Arab of the future”, designated by his peers, will therefore be honored with a major retrospective next year for the next edition.
He only needed this prize to be definitively consecrated as a pillar of world comics. By winning this Wednesday the Grand Prix of the city of Angoulême, which marks the opening of the 50th edition of the International Comics Festival, the Parisian by birth Riad Sattouf thus sees his work praised by his peers, and takes over from the Canadian Julie Doucet who, tradition obliges, gave him the prize herself.
The big price #FIBD2023 is awarded to… @RiadSattouf !
Born in 1978, he is a comic book author and director. His childhood took place between Libya, Syria and Brittany. He studied applied arts in Nantes, then animated film in Paris, at the Ecole des Gobelins. pic.twitter.com/18w1LP23rU
— Angoulême Festival (@bdangouleme) January 25, 2023
Highest distinction in the world of the 9th art, the Grand Prix will allow him to be honored with a major retrospective during the next edition of the festival.
“It’s very impressive,” said the 44-year-old author after a standing ovation. He paid tribute to his maternal grandmother, the one who first believed in his talent. “I wanted to make a comic strip imagining that she would like to read it, she who didn’t like it,” explained the cartoonist about “The Arab of the Future”. This autobiographical series in 6 volumes, the last of which was published at the end of last November, has ensured him worldwide fame, with more than three million copies sold, and a translation into more than 20 languages.
From box to screen successfully
He is also the author of another series which has met with great success, “Les Cahiers d’Esther”, a funny and tender chronicle of a teenager, each volume of which relates the anecdotes of a year of life.
Coming out of his original job, he immediately found success in the cinema, directing the films “Les Beaux Gosses” in 2009, and “Jacky in the kingdom of girls” in 2014, always with his favorite actor and friend. Vincent Lacoste.
With the presentation of this prize, the festival is officially launched, and is held until January 29th.