By Scott Campbell

Girard-Perregaux has honoured Quentin Tarantino with the Lumière Award - the iconic filmmaker being the fifth recipient of the accolade - which was created by The Lumière Institute to celebrate an artist, in Lyon, the very place where the cinematograph was invented by Louis and Auguste Lumière, and where they shot their first film, Sortie d’Usine, in 1895.

Selected by Bertrand Tavernier, Thierry Frémaux and the team from the Institut Lumière, the Lumière Award was presented to Quentin Tarantino not only for his films, but also for his radiant cinephilia, his in-film tributes to the whole cast of cinematic mythology (filmmakers, actresses, actors, musicians, etc..), and for his personal life-long motto, delivered in the French: "VIVE LE CINEMA!"

At 50, Quentin Tarantino, director, screenwriter, producer and actor, shows no sign of slowing down. He has worked in television, written eight feature films and some 15 screenplays. Receiving the Palme d’Or for Pulp Fiction in 1994, his work has conistently won the adoration of critic and audience alike: Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction, Jackie Brown, Kill Bill: Volume 1, Kill Bill: Volume 2, Death Proof, Inglourious Basterds and Django Unchained have all become classics of the modern screen.

Following the award ceremony, Quentin Tarantino was presented a Girard-Perregaux 1966 Annual Calendar and Equation of Time.

"His bold creative spirit has brought great innovation to modern cinema’, said Michele Sofisti, CEO of Girard-Perregaux

In partnership with the festival, Girard-Perregaux will support the Institut Lumière in its ongoing efforts to work on the promotion of film heritage, and remains part of the Swiss watchmaker's engagement in the moviemaking industry.

Just last year, Girard-Perregaux had announced it would be the Exclusive Timekeeper and a Founding Supporter of the new Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, to be located in Los Angeles and slated to open in 2016.