Actor Sean Penn has praised the French film industry and called it a "refuge" from Hollywood.
Penn, who received an honorary Cesar Award, said while growing up as a teen in the 1960s he was inspired by French film, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
"It's been kind of a refuge when things get too cynical in what we do. Artists are encouraging to each other to sustain a vivid industry, which we saw so briefly in American cinema.
"French cinema is unique for sustaining those emotions," he said, deeming it "a kind of refuge when things get too cynical.
"It's been a breath of fresh air, and that's the reason this means quite a lot to me," he added.
Penn, who arrived with fiancee Charlize Theron on a rainy Friday night, met French president Francois Hollande to discuss his humanitarian charity the J/P Haitian Relief Organization.
