'Irish Times' film critic bestowed with cultural title

Champagne glasses clinked last night at the French embassy in Dublin as Irish Times film critic Michael Dwyer received a special honour.

Mr Dwyer has reported from Cannes Film Festival for 25 years and has written extensively on French film for an Irish audience. He was awarded the title "Chevalier de L'Ordre des Arts et Lettres" by French ambassador Frederic Grasset.

The decoration, established in 1957, recognises significant contributions to the arts and literature, and has been given to a number of high-profile actors and writers outside France - but rarely to a film critic. Previous recipients include John McGahern, David Bowie, Celine Dion, William Faulkner, Meryl Streep, Shigeru Miyamoto and Ella Fitzgerald.

Speaking at the presentation, Mr Gasset said Mr Dwyer's writing was enlightening, interesting and accurate and had put French cinema on the map in Ireland. "He has the capacity to put one piece of work or one piece of art in the history of the art and he gives all the tradition, he explains to us why this picture is one of a kind but also linked to a great tradition," he said. He added the decoration was only given to people who made a real contribution to art and literature.

Mr Dwyer thanked the ambassador, the French embassy and the French government for bestowing the honour. "I've been aware of it for many years. I don't know many people who received it. I never thought I would and I am very thrilled," he said.

Guests last night included Jean-Michel Garcia, director of Alliance Francaise; film censor John Kelleher; Gráinne Humphreys, director of the French Film Festival, which opened last night; and Helene Conway, director of the DIT school of languages.