And you thought awards season was over. Not quite. Sunday night in Beverly Hills, accolades were made into a microphone, sculptural pieces of medal were handed over, thank–you speeches were made. It was the government of France handing out the prizes: insignias for the order of arts and letters. Frederic Mitterand (left), nephew of the late president Francois Mitterand and the current Minister of Culture and Communication, exhibited unfettered delight in pinning a filmmaker and a television producer. That’s natural, since Mitterand used to be a film critic and is conversant in pop culture. “At last I can kiss him!” the minister said after bussing Gus Van Sant (right). In French, he told the audience assembled in the French Consulat’s home “His films are not just lessons in the art of cinema, but in the art of looking at others and liking others.” Van Sant, accepting the award, expressed admiration for the Rene Magritte painting on view at the Residence of France, as the house is called, and cried, “Vive la France!” before exiting the stage. Matthew Weiner, creator of the “Mad Men” TV series, was also decorated. “My own personal relationship with France is imaginary,” said Weiner, who had brought wife, kids, and parents to the ceremony. “It extends to owning a Citroen Pallas in the 1990s and driving around Los Angeles. I would imagine Catherine Deneuve pulling up beside me.”