In memoriam Margaret Ménégoz

On 7 August, French-German producer Margaret Ménégoz has passed away at the age of 83.

Photo: Unifrance/DR

Ménégoz was born in Budapest in 1941 as part of a Hungarian-German family, grew up in Baden-Württemberg and began her career in the 1970s at French production company Les Films du Losange, which she directed for 46 years. Her filmography includes more than 60 titles, in addition to important works of the French Nouvelle Vague, also many German-French co-productions such as THE AMERICAN FRIEND by Wim Wenders, LOVE and THE WHITE RIBBON by Michael Haneke or UNDINE by Christian Petzold. She has been honoured with the most important national and international film awards, from a European Film Award, an Oscar and the Palme d’Or. For her work, she was appointed officer of the French Legion of Honour in 2012 and honoured with the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany in 2023.

“Margaret Ménégoz not only represented the quintessence of what makes a great European film producer in her extraordinary work with authors of the stature of Michael Haneke, Wim Wenders, Eric Rohmer, Rainer Werner Fassbinder and Agnieszka Holland,” said producer and European Film Academy Chair Mike Downey, “she put so much back in to building a European film industry of quality, integrity and global success. Margaret’s commitment as board member and deputy chair of the European Film Academy, was second to none as was her passion for communicating European cinema across the world to yet wider and wider audiences knew no bounds: the day of her death was a very sad day for European cinema: she will be sorely missed.”

Margaret Ménégoz also inspired a younger generation and was a driving force behind the Franco-German development fund for young film producers. She pushed its creation through in France, which was not easy. The young generation from back then is now the core of the German-French Film Academy, of which she was President for many years. Ménégoz also served as President of Unifrance (2003-2009)

Matthijs Wouter Knol, CEO and Director of the European Film Academy: “In many ways, European cinema owes a great deal to Margaret Ménégoz. Also for a new generation dedicated to European film culture, she will continue to serve as an inspiring example. The European Film Academy will honour her memory and impressive legacy.”