Mom…

Sylvie Vartan’s heartbreaking homage to her mother.

The exact same day that she lost her Mother, Ilona, on June 26th 2007, Sylvie Vartan realized just how extraordinary this woman had been, as well as just how much her presence at her side had been essential.

She was the only person who had never left her, from Budapest to Paris, from Paris to Los Angeles. She had held everything together. She only wanted one thing – that her daughter, in her personal and artistic live, stay strong.

Life, however, wasn’t easy for Ilona. As a young girl in Hungary she was forced into exile several times. In Sofia, Bulgaria, with her husband Robert Vartan, she experienced the anguish of communism: denunciation, fear, hunger…until their departure for Paris. Sylvie Vartan discovered her mother’s diary.

Helped by the writer Lionel Duroy, Sylvie composed this deeply moving tribute to a woman whose courage, selflessness as well as beauty continue to capture her heart. She was everything – the pillar, the ally, the helping hand, and the unconditional love of mother for her daughter.

A lesson of courage and love.