PARIS ~ John Malkovich won the director’s award on Monday in the Molieres, French theatre’s annual prize-giving event, while another American import, The Lion King, romped off with three prizes.

In a star-spangled evening at Paris’s Folies Bergere, Malkovich walked off with the director’s award for Good Canary written by Zach Helm, which had the most nominations (six) but only won one other prize – for Pierre-Francois Limbosch as best set designer.

The French version of the visually stunning musical The Lion King won all three categories – musical theatre, costume creator for American Julie Taymor and lighting director for her compatriot Donald Holder – for which it was nominated.