From Sils Maria to Timbuktu, France Celebrates the César Awards
Wednesday, January 28, 2015 at 12:45PM 
Glenn here while Nathaniel is travelling back from the wonders of Sundance. I do so enjoy looking at national awards since they paint such a gloriously global view of the film world that most of the American award bodies simply do not even attempt. They're always a good way of finding out about films that may otherwise go unnoticed in the ever-expanding world of film festivals (increasingly the only way to see many of these films, anyway) and a great way of finding the next big thing to which you can tell your friends and colleagues, "I saw them first in that tiny foreign film."
This year's César Awards from France have announced their nominations and it's a handsome looking bunch, even if I've only seen a few of the actual nominees (again, blame those tricky new age distribution methods and diminishing foreign indie market). I was super happy to see Bertrand Bonello's Saint Laurent, France's unsuccessful 2014 Oscar submission, in the mix across the board since I flipped for it at NYFF last August. I certainly enjoyed it more than Nathaniel, and when it finally gets a release across the oceans I'll be more than pleased to beg people to go and see it. Curiously, it will compete against last year's second biopic of the famed fashion designer, Jalil Lespert's less well-received Yves Saint Laurent, in several acting and technical categories.
Elsewhere Abderrahmane Sissako's exceptional France-Mauritania copro Timbuktu adds a collection of César nods to its net of successes including that historic Oscar nomination. Another Oscar nominee, Marion Cotillard in Two Days, One Night, also snagged a nomination, which is hardly surprising, but the acclaimed Dardennes brothers' film missed out in every other category except foreign film, so I suspect there's some eligibility tango being played there. Is she eligible because she's French, but the film isn't because it's Belgian? If anybody can enlighten us that would be fabulous. Wim Wenders' The Salt of the Earth, his Oscar-nominated documentary about anthropological photographer Sebastião Salgado, also made the César list and we'll have a discussion on that film and the other doc nominees soon.
The last film I need to mention is one that American audiences will finally get the chance to see in April. Olivier Assayas' Clouds of Sils Maria - simply Sils Maria in France - which had a very successful day despite leaving last year's Cannes Film Festival with no prizes and some questionable buzz. I'm going to assume the César embrace of a French film performed predominantly in English is rare, but don't want to claim it as fact. What I do know is that it's excellent and I'm worried about some of the write-ups it will get when released in America. Nevertheless, the nomination for Kristen Stewart is particularly sweet given how easy it would be for a French organisation to push her to the side and focus on Juliette Binoche. She's the best thing in it after all. Who needs a sequel to Snow White and The Huntsman, am I right?
Following is the entire list of nominees. Which ones have you been lucky enough to see?
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Best Film
Les Combattants, dir: Thomas Cailley
Eastern Boys, dir: Robin Campillo
La Famille Bélier, dir: Eric Lartigau
Saint Laurent, dir: Bertrand Bonello
Hippocrate, dir: Thomas Lilti
Sils Maria, dir: Olivier Assayas
Timbuktu, dir: Abderrahmane Sissako
I have literally had a screener of nominated gay drama Eastern Boys sitting open in a browser tab for several days now. I guess this is the final kick I needed to actually press play. It opens in New York on the 27th of February, and Timbuktu was just released this last weekend to capitalize on its Oscar nomination. I'd love to hear from anybody who's seen La Famille Belier, Les Combattants or Hippocrate...
Best Director
Céline Sciamma, Bande De Filles
Thomas Cailley, Les Combattants
Robin Campillo, Eastern Boys
Thomas Lilti, Hippocrate
Bertrand Bonello, Saint Laurent
Olivier Assayas, Sils Maria
Abderrahmane Sissako, Timbuktu
Sciamma's Bande de Filles - or Girlhood internationally - is the "lone director" of the César's and I so look forward to seeing her film when it's released at the end of January. I briefly spoke to her when I was at the Stockholm Film Festival and elicited a bit of a giggle from her when I was desperate to see her film because I wasn't as in love with Boyhood as everyone else. I wonder if they ever thought of changing the title given how often the two will be compared (I suspect unfavourably simply because foreign language movies about black girls challenging the patriarchal norm don't compare well to nostalgic trips through male youth).
Best Actress
Juliette Binoche, Sils Maria
Catherine Deneuve, Dans La Cour
Marion Cotillard, Deux Jours, Une Nuit
Emilie Dequenne, Pas Son Genre
Adèle Haenel, Les Combattants
Sandrine Kiberlain, Elle L’Adore
Karin Viard, La Famille Bélier
Best Actor
Pierre Niney, Yves Saint Laurent
Romain Duris, Une Nouvelle Amie
Gaspard Ulliel, Saint Laurent
Guillaume Canet, La Prochaine Fois Je Viserai Le Coeur
Niels Arestrup, Diplomatie
François Damiens, La Famille Bélier
Vincent Lacoste, Hippocrate
Best Supporting Actress
Marianne Denicourt, Hippocrate
Claude Gensac, Lulu Femme Nue
Izïa Higelin, Samba
Charlotte Le Bon, Yves Saint Laurent
Kristen Stewart, Sils Maria
Best Supporting Actor
Eric Elmosnino, La Famille Bélier
Jérémie Renier, Saint Laurent
Guillaume Gallienne, Yves Saint LAurent
Louis Garrel, Saint Laurent
Reda Kateb, Hippocrate
Oh Louis Garrel... Yes, Louis Garrel..
Best Original Screenplay
Les Combattants
La Famille Bélier
Hippocrate
Sils Maria
Timbuktu
Best Adapted Screenplay
La Chambre Bleue
Diplomatie
Pas Son Genre
Lulu Femme Nue
La Prochaine Fois Je Viserai Le Coeur
Best Newcomer (Male)
Kevin Azaïs, Les Combattants
Ahmed Dramé, Les Héritiers
Kirill Emelyanov, Eastern Boys
Pierre Rochefort, Un Beau Dimanche
Marc Zinga, Qu’Allah Bénisse La France
Best Newcomer (Female)
Lou de Laâge, Respire
Joséphine Japy, Respire
Louane Emera, La Famille Bélier
Ariane Labed, Fidelio, L’Odyssée D’Alice
Karidja Touré, Bande De Filles
I remember all of the buzz out of Cannes over Mélanie Laurent's Respire, but it doesn't appear to have turned into awards from her home country except for these couple of newcomer acting nominations. Nor has it turned into much in terms of international distribution - surely some of her Hollywood friends can help her out, right? Has anybody seen it? It looks super interesting, especially since it's coming from a female directorial POV.
Best Debut Feature
Les Combattants
Elle L’Adore
Fidelio, L’Odyssée D’Alice
Party Girl
Qu’Allah Bénisse La France
Best Foreign Film
Winter Sleep, dir: Nuri Bilge Ceylan
Boyhood, dir: Richard Linklater
12 Years A Slave, dir: Steve McQueen
Deux Jours, Une Nuit, dirs: Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne
Mommy, dir Xavier Dolan
Ida, dir: Pawel Pawlikowski
The Grand Budapest Hotel, dir: Wes Anderson
A very solid line-up, would we not all agree? I think we would all agree that this is an almighty smashing line-up.
Best Score
Bande De Filles
Bird People
Les Combattants
Timbuktu
Yves Saint-Laurent
Best Editing
Les Combattants
Hippocrate
Party Girl
Saint-Laurent
Timbuktu
Best Cinematography
La Belle Et La Bête
Saint-Laurent
Sils Maria
Timbuktu
Yves Saint Laurent
Timbuktu's Safian El Fani should probably win for this spectacular scene alone, right? I mean... gosh. Just so gorgeous and powerful.
Best Set Design
La Belle Et La Bête
La French
Saint-Laurent
Timbuktu
Yves Saint Laurent
Best Costumes
La Belle Et La Bête
La French
Saint-Laurent
Une Nouvelle Amie
Yves Saint Laurent
Best Documentary
Caricaturistes – Fantassins De La Démocratie
Les Chèvres De Ma Mère
La Cour De Babel
National Gallery
Salt Of The Earth
Frederick Wiseman xoxo ♥♥♥
Best Sound
Bande De Filles
Bird People
Les Combattants
Saint Laurent
Timbuktu
Best Animated Film
Minuscule – La Vallée Des Fourmis Perdues, dirs: Thomas Szabo and Hélène Giraud
Jack Et La Mécanique Du Coeur, dir: Stéphane Berla
Le Chant De La Mer, dir: Tomm Moore
Best Short Film
Aïssa
La Femme De Rio
Inupiluk
Les Jours D’Avant
Où Je Mets Ma Pudeur
La Virée A Paname
Best Animated Short
Bang Bang!
La Bûche De Noël
La Petite Casserole D’Anatole
Les Petits Cailloux
Reader Comments (23)
I have such a wish list from these.
So eager to see Bande de Filles / Girlhood. I've heard great things.
How often does an American actor get nominated in the main acting categories at the Cesars? I would think it's quite rare...congrats to Kristen Stewart!
MB76, only Julia Migenes and Adrien Brody made that record. So Stewart is in a privileged group.
The only two I can see from the last 15 years or so are Tilda Swinton for JULIA (!!!) and Adrian Brody for THE PIANIST.
As far as American actors go, the only name I can find is Adrian Brody who won for THE PIANIST, although there's also Tilda Swinton for JULIA (!!!) and Omar Sharif for MONSIEUR IBRAHIM who also blew in from outside Europe and got nominated. Usually if there's a big French film starring an overseas actor they don't get nominated. I'm looking at THE GHOST WRITER, THE FIFTH ELEMENT and JOAN OF ARC, which got major film/director/writing nominations, but their Hollywood/Brit actors got nothing.
Oh, I didn't go back as far as '85. Thanks Leon! Stewart pulled of a rare feat indeed.
Her post-twilight career is looking very promising. This is a major milestone is her career. Good for her.
Any chance of La Binoche and her winning? Binoche was perfect as the moody actress driving Kristen's character crazy.
Oh man, I'm also pretty tickled about Stewart's nomination. She was just marvelous in Sils Maria, made a gangbusters duet with Binoche. Good for her! I hope she goes to the ceremony and sulks beautifully.
Thanks guys...fascinating stats!
Eastern Boys is really good... up to a point. The first half hour or so is really formally ambitious and hypnotic, and then it more or less settles into a conventional narrative trajectory, which is still compelling but definitely a case of diminishing returns.
Girlhood is very good. Can't wait for more people to see it. It kind of overstays its welcome, but Sciamma is such a huge talent, and the actors are all rather incredible.
Man, I love that picture of Binoche and Moretz jumping up at Cannes.
**prayer hands** May this nomination be the long of nominations for Kristen Stewart for this role and may she not get the Channing Tatum treatment of making numerous star turns, yet getting the shaft
I hope she goes to the ceremony.
And Binoche, after some noticeable snubbing, has returned. And against Marion. Marion has to be favored, no? That said, the passion for Sils Maria makes me think Binoche and Stewart's are threats for their category.
And wow, to think we Americans complain whenever there is sameness in awards films. 2 films on Yves Saint Laurent nominated and while I quite admire Bonello's House of Pleasures, it sharing the spotlight, with a film on the same subject that didn't get the reviews/acclaim, feels like shade thrown against the Bonello's showier style.
I loved Sills Maria. It's the best thing I've seen last year.
KStew, the best thing in Sils Maria? Not in my book - she does her role justice, yes, but claiming she out-acts Binoche is sheer absurdity. Let's not get ahead of ourselves. Just because she did a decent job doesn't mean she needs to get hyperbolic accolades.
That's the great thing about opinions, we can all have differing ones.
I thought it was sad to see Amour Fou got snubbed, until I realized the film is actually from Austria with German language. Talk about deceptive title.
About the eligibility of Two Days, One Night, you must know that, for the Académie des César, there are four categories of films based on the country of production:
1. Majority French productions (more than 50%)
2. Minority French productions (less than 50%)
3. Foreign productions in the French language
4. Foreign productions in any other language
The last two categories are only eligible in the best foreign film category (2 slots for films in French, 5 slots for the other languages).
The majority French productions are eligible in every categories (except, of course, the best foreign film!)
As regards Two Days, One Night, it is a minority French production (majority Belgian). Those films are eligible in every categories except Best Film of the year (but they are eligible for best actress, best director, best screenplay, etc. and also Best foreign film). It means that it was theoretically absolutely possible for Two Days, One Night to get more nominations (best director or best screenplay for example). Marion Cotillard was not eligible because of her nationality.
But those minority French productions always have great difficulties to get other nominations apart from Best foreign film. Those particular rules exist for a couple of years and I think (but I should check) Cotillard is the very first to manage to get a nomination for a minority French production in any category (except Best foreign film). For example 2 years ago the amazing Melvil Poupaud was left out of the best actor category for Laurence Anyways (a minority French production too) and Emilie Dequenne (nominated this year) was snubbed for Our Children, one of the best performance of the year. Voters clearly prefer to favor the majority French productions.
This year, with her Oscar nomination and the “buzz” around her performance, it was almost impossible for the Académie to snub Cotillard too. That is why, in my opinion, she is the lonely “survivor” of her film.
I hope my explanations are clear…
That's Louis Garrel though.
I did like La famille Bélier, it is kinda "feel good movie" but it's interesting. And Louane Emera is pretty impressive, a see a lot of star potential in her. But to nominate François Damiens and Karin Viard as leads is a bit of category fraud to me.
Daph, yes, of course it is! I'm fixing it now...
Nicolas, that is VERY interesting. Thank you for that. Very good to know for future reference and very telling then that Cotillard got in if, as you say, those minority-french productions typically have a terrible time being nominated. It's also fascinating since it just goes to show how much of a wide-net film production is these days. People in my home country are routinely arguing over what makes an "Australian" film since we so often see co-productions that aren't set in Australia, but, it's like, Australia is a multicultural country so why shouldn't our filmmakers be hampered by borders? Aanyway. Thank you again!
You’re welcome Glenn !
I made some researches about the nominations that the minority-french productions got in the past years. The rules about that clear distinction between minority and majority-french productions were established two years ago (it is now the third ceremony with those rules) and I have found only one nomination other than the one Cotillard got on Wednesday. In 2013, the young Kacey Mottet Klein was nominated as most promising actor for Sister (dir. Ursula Meier) a majority-swiss production. But, as you probably know, the way the promising actors and actresses are nominated is particular: a committee of the Académie makes a pre-selection in December of 16 actors and 16 actresses. In this way it’s considerably easier to get a nomination if the actor is already in the preselection.
Before the establishment of those rules, minority-french productions were often nominated and even the Dardenne brothers got 3 nominations in 2005 for the minority-french production The Child (film, director, screenplay). All the French productions (majority and minority) were then presented to the voters in the same way without distinctions. Now they take place in clear different chapters of the documentation!
I have the feeling the “embarrassment” started in 2003 when The Barbarian Invasions (a very Canadian movie) won all the main awards and left the frontrunner Bon Voyage (a very French movie about France during the Occupation and Resistance) almost empty-handed!
Those new rules clearly wanted to answer the question: What is a French movie in (as you wrote) the multicultural society of the 21st century? But I am not quite sure it was the correct answer as it clearly handicaps even some great French artists and technicians.
Perhaps Kristen Stewart is the first Oscar contender for this year? Certainly this boosts her profile, along with Still Alice.
Nicolas, thank you for your research !
I was arguing with friends about the eligibility of "Two Days, One Night". The Dardenne's previous film "The Kid With a Bike" was nominated as a Foreign Language Film, but "The Child" in 2005 was up for Best Film, so this was a bit confusing. Thanks for clearing that up.