The film by French director Justine Triet went home with a total of six awards on Friday evening, including best director and best original screenplay. This makes the 45-year-old the second woman to triumph in this category after Tonie Marshall in 2000.
German actress Sandra Hülser won the best actress award for her performance in the film about a German writer suspected of murdering her husband. “She wouldn’t have expected it, especially not as a German. On the set, language and origin were not an obstacle, but an opportunity,” she said in French. It makes her happy and she wishes it were like that always and everywhere, the 45-year-old continued her acceptance speech with emotion.
This meant that Hülser won against France’s screen star Marion Cotillard, who was competing for the prize for her role in “Little Girl Bleu”. The German actress was also nominated for an Oscar for her leading role in “Anatomy of a Case”. The Oscars will be awarded on March 10th in Hollywood. The film, which won the Palme d’Or at Cannes 2023, is competing in five categories, including the categories of best film and best director.
Love story “Simple comme Sylvain” best foreign film
“Simple comme Sylvain” by the Canadian director Monia Chokri from Quebec was awarded the best foreign film. With her love story between a philosophy professor and a carpenter, Chokri stood out, among others, from the film “Perfect Days” by Wim Wenders.
The award-winning British-American director Christopher Nolan received the honorary César. It was an unlikely honor for him, he said. He has always been impressed by France’s love of cinema. His wife Emma Thomas, producer of many of his films, was also present at the award ceremony. The 49th César ceremony took place in the legendary Paris concert hall Olympia.
Another honorary trophy was accepted by French actress and filmmaker Agnès Jaoui, who has won the most César awards to date with six trophies.
Moving speech by Judith Godrèche
The awarding of the French film awards took place against the backdrop of new MeToo scandals. At the beginning of February, actress Judith Godrèche (“A Woman of 15”) filed a lawsuit against directors Benoît Jacquot (“Diary of a Chambermaid”) and Jacques Doillon (“Young Werther”) for sexual abuse of minors. The incidents are said to have occurred between 1986 and 1992.
The 51-year-old spoke at the César Gala. In a moving speech, she warned against the excesses of cinema, an art that she said sometimes provided cover for the “illegal” trade in young girls. Just earlier this year, France was rocked by the misogynistic comments and recent sexual assault lawsuits against Gérard Depardieu.
The MeToo movement has long met with a mix of support and resistance in France. Adèle Haenel was the first renowned actress to speak publicly about sexual violence in French cinema in 2019.
The César, named after the sculptor César Baldaccini, is the French equivalent of the Oscar film awards. It has been awarded since 1976.
ePaper
info By clicking on the icon you can add the keyword to your topics.
info
By clicking on the icon you open your “my topics” page. They have of 15 keywords saved and would have to remove keywords.
info By clicking on the icon you can remove the keyword from your topics.
Add the topic to your topics.