France honours Japanese film maker Takeshi

PARIS (AFP) - France awarded one of its highest artistic honours on Tuesday to the Japanese screen star and film maker Takeshi Kitano, director of bizarre and violent cult movies such as "Battle Royale".

Japanese film director Takeshi Kitano (L) poses with French culture minister Frederic Mitterrand (© AFP - Jacques Demarthon)

Takeshi was made a Commander of Arts and Letters by French Culture Minister Frederic Mitterrand at the Cartier Foundation, a top Paris contemporary art venue where paintings by Takeshi are on show until June.

"You are not a man of one single film nor one single style, much less one single face," Mitterrand told Takeshi, presenting the medal to the star.

Takeshi is a huge television personality in Japan and renowned worldwide for his films and cult gameshow "Takeshi's Castle", in which members of the public perform humiliating and spectacular stunts.

"This exhibition shows that more than ever that you are not a man of one single art form," Mitterrand added.