French satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo was awarded a special prize at the 42nd International Angoulême Comics Festival on Thursday, three weeks after two gunmen killed 12 people in an attack on the publication’s office in Paris, reports FRANCE 24.
The special Grand Prix was created following the January 7 attack on Charlie Hebdo, which claimed the lives of some of France’s most beloved cartoonists.
“The festival’s special Grand Prix has been awarded to Charlie Hebdo in homage to the artists killed and their necessary fight for freedom of expression, so that the work by all those who have contributed to this essential publication of the French press will live on in our memories,” the festival’s organisers said in a statement.
Meanwhile, Japan’s Katsuhiro Otomo was honoured with the festival’s first-place prize, becoming the first manga cartoonist ever to win it. The 60-year-old is the creator of the cult manga series Akira, which is set in a post-apocalyptic Tokyo built on the ashes of a city destroyed by a blast that triggered World War III.
The festival opened earlier in the day in the southwestern town of Angoulême under tight security, a solemn reminder of this month’s deadly attacks in Paris.
"The 2015 festival will be a time for remembering, but we also want to show that life goes on," festival director Franck Bondoux said.
Graphic novel writers, press cartoonists and animators were among the stars in attendance at the festival, which this year features special displays on Asian cartoons and Jack Kirby, creator of "Captain America", "Hulk" and the "X-Men".