Cesar Awards

From New World Encyclopedia
César Awards
César Awards logo.svg

The César Award logo

Awarded forAchievements in French cinema
CountryFrance
Presented byAcadémie des Arts et Techniques du Cinéma
Websiteacademie-cinema.org

The César Award is the national film award of France. It is delivered in the Nuit des César ceremony and was first awarded in 1976. The nominations are selected by the members of twelve categories of filmmaking professionals and supported by the French Ministry of Culture.[1] The nationally televised award ceremony is held in Paris each year in February. The exact location has changed over the years (in the Théâtre du Châtelet from 2002 to 2016). It is an initiative of the Académie des Arts et Techniques du Cinéma, which was founded in 1975.

The César Award is considered the highest film honor in France, the French film industry's equivalent to the Molière Award for theatre, and the Victoires de la Musique for music. In cinema, it is the French equivalent to the Academy Award.

The award was created by Georges Cravenne, who was also the creator of the Molière Award for theatre. The name of the award comes from the sculptor César Baldaccini (1921–1998) who designed it.

The 48th César Awards ceremony took place on 24 February 2023. The Night of the 12th, directed by Dominik Moll, won the award for Best Film.[2]

History

In 1974, Georges Cravenne founded the Academy of Arts and Techniques of Cinema that was, from the outset, intended to reward the achievements and the most remarkable film artwork, to have a French equivalent to the American Oscars. The first César Awards – also known as the "Night of Caesar" – were held on 3 April 1976 under the chairmanship of Jean Gabin who watched the ceremony from the front row seated in a wheelchair a few months before his death. The name of the award comes from the sculptor César, designer of the trophy awarded to the winners in each category. It is also an homage to the Raimu, the great French actor and performer of Marseille trilogy of Marcel Pagnol, in which Raimu played the character of César.

File:Josiane Balasko Daniel Auteuil Catherine Deneuve Karin Viard 2000.jpg
Josiane Balasko, Daniel Auteuil, Catherine Deneuve, and Karin Viard at the 2000 César Award Ceremony

The César Awards replaced the Étoile de cristal [{{safesubst:#invoke:Separated entries|main}}], which was awarded from 1955 to 1975. Other prizes had been awarded to French cinema in the past. From 1934 to 1986, the Grand prix du cinéma français [{{safesubst:#invoke:Separated entries|main}}], established by film pioneer Louis Lumière, was given to one film a year. In the 1950s, the Victoire du cinéma français [{{safesubst:#invoke:Separated entries|main}}] was awarded each June. Lacking popular enthusiasm compared to the Étoile de cristal, this award was discontinued after 1964.[citation needed]

At the inaugural César Awards, 13 awards were distributed. Today, there are 22 (in nine subcategories). Categories added in recent years include Most Promising Actor/Actress (Meilleur espoir), Best Documentary (Meilleur documentaire) and Best Animated Film (Meilleur film d'animation), while awards honoring the best film poster and best producer have been dropped, as they are now given at a sister ceremony, the Prix Daniel Toscan du Plantier [{{safesubst:#invoke:Separated entries|main}}].

Beginning with the 43rd César ceremony in 2018, a new special award, the César du public, is given to the French film with the most box office receipts during the previous year and the beginning of the current year.[3] This award responds to the need to reward French comedy films, which remain the most popular genre in France.[4][5][6]

During the 45th ceremony in 2020, Adèle Haenel, a French actress playing the main character in Portrait of a Lady on Fire, left the room when Roman Polanski's award for best director[7] was announced in protest against the fact that notable sexual abusers in the film industry can receive awards when their victims are reduced to silence. Polanski was convicted of unlawful sexual intercourse with a 13-year-old in California in 1978, and has additionally been accused of other incidents of rape.[8][9][10][11][12][13]

The statue

The César Award trophy

The César statues are compressed sculptures of metal objects, designed in 1975 by the sculptor César Baldaccini, a friend of Georges Cravenne who gave them their name as a wink to the Oscars, the sound of the name being close to the film César by Pagnol.[14] These forged pieces are made from polished natural bronze, unlike the Oscars which are plated in gold. The latter directly inspired the first AATC trophy in 1976, which was a reel of film encircling a silhouette.[15][16] In 1977, before a mixed reception of actors, Baldaccini unveiled the current 8 by 8 cm compression, weighing 3.6 kg and cast in the Bocquel foundry in Normandy. The cost of a César has not been officially revealed, but is estimated at around 1,500 euros.

Voting process

Voting for César Awards is conducted through two ballots by mail: the first to establish nominations per category (three to five, depending on the discipline), and the second to decide the winner.

Voters are professionals in the field, numbering about 4,000, divided into 12 colleges (actors, directors, writers, technicians, producers, distributors and international vendors, operators, agents artistic, technical industries, casting directors, press officers and members associates). The criteria for voting are: demonstrate a relatively consistent career in film and get a double sponsorship in the Académie des arts et techniques du cinéma. Nominees or winners of the previous editions are exempt from these formalities.

To aid voters, the Académie identifies each year films released in France and provides a guide to the works and eligible professionals. A DVD set of French or primarily French productions produced during the year is sent in December with the catalog of films to the electors. After the nominations are revealed, at the end of January, special screenings of the nominated films are shown at the Le Balzac cinema in Paris, near the Champs-Élysées. Each year, a special lunch (Déjeuner des nommés aux César du cinéma [{{safesubst:#invoke:Separated entries|main}}]) for nominees is held at the famous Fouquet's restaurant on the Champs-Élysées, a few weeks before the ceremony.[citation needed]

Categories

Merit awards

  • Best Film
  • Best Director
  • Best Actor
  • Best Actress
  • Best Supporting Actor
  • Best Supporting Actress
  • Most Promising Actor
  • Most Promising Actress
  • Best Adaptation
  • Best Original Screenplay
  • Best First Feature Film

  • Best Foreign Film
  • Best Animated Film
  • Best Documentary Film
  • Best Short Film
  • Best Animated Short Film
  • Best Cinematography
  • Best Costume Design
  • Best Editing
  • Best Music Written for a Film
  • Best Production Design
  • Best Sound

Special awards

  • Honorary Award - since 1976
  • César des Césars - between 1985 and 1995
  • Prix Daniel Toscan du Plantier - since 2008
  • Trophée César & Techniques - since 2011
  • Médaille d'Or - only in 2015
  • César & Techniques Special Award - only between 2015 and 2017
  • César & Techniques Innovation Award - since 2018
  • César du public - since 2018

Retired awards

  • Best Film from the European Union (2002–2004)
  • Best Poster (1986–1990)
  • Best Producer (1995–1996)
  • Best Writing (Adaptation or Original) (1976–2005)
  • Best French Language Film (1984–1986)
  • Best Documentary Short (1977–1991)
  • Best Fiction Short (1977–1991)
  • Best Animated Short (1977–1990)

Overall

Films that received five or more César Awards

Film Year Noms. Wins
Cyrano de Bergerac 1990 13 10
The Last Metro 1980 12 10
A Prophet 2009 13 9
The Beat That My Heart Skipped 2005 10 8
Lost Illusions 2022 15 7
Same Old Song 1997 12 7
All the World's Mornings 1991 11 7
The Pianist 2002 10 7
Goodbye, Children 1987 9 7
Séraphine 2008 9 7
Providence 1977 8 7
Timbuktu 2015 8 7
The Artist 2012 10 6
Thérèse 1986 10 6
Camille Claudel 1988 12 5
Queen Margot 1994 12 5
A Very Long Engagement 2004 12 5
Annette 2022 11 5
Too Beautiful For You 1989 11 5
La Vie en Rose 2007 11 5
Amour 2013 10 5
Me, Myself and Mum 2014 10 5
Lady Chatterley 2007 9 5
Smoking/No Smoking 1993 9 5

Films that received 10 or more César Award nominations

Film Year Noms. Wins
Lost Illusions 2022 15 7
Amélie 2001 13 4
Cyrano de Bergerac 1990 13 10
Subway 1985 13 3
A Prophet 2009 13 9
Polisse 2012 13 2
Camille redouble 2013 13 0
See You Up There 2018 13 5
BPM (Beats per Minute) 2018 13 6
8 Women 2002 12 0
The Last Metro 1980 12 10
Tchao Pantin 1984 12 5
Camille Claudel 1988 12 5
Queen Margot 1994 12 5
Ridicule 1996 12 4
Same Old Song 1997 12 7
A Very Long Engagement 2004 12 5
The Minister 2012 12 3
An Officer and a Spy 2020 12 3
Les Misérables 2020 12 4
All the World's Mornings 1991 11 7
Nelly and Mr. Arnaud 1995 11 2
A Secret 2007 11 1
À l'origine 2009 11 1
Of Gods and Men 2010 11 3
Those Who Love Me Can Take the Train 1998 11 3
Too Beautiful for You 1989 11 5
La Vie en Rose 2007 11 5
Marguerite 2016 11 4
Elle 2017 11 2
Frantz 2017 11 1
My Golden Days 2016 11 1
La Belle Époque 2020 11 3
Annette 2022 11 5
Public Enemy Number One 2008 10 3
The Beat That My Heart Skipped 2005 10 8
Clean Up 1981 10 0
The Pianist 2002 10 7
Thérèse 1986 10 6
Welcome 2009 10 0
The Artist 2012 10 6
Farewell, My Queen 2013 10 3
Amour 2013 10 5
Me, Myself and Mum 2014 10 5
Custody 2019 10 4
Saint Laurent 2015 10 1
Sink or Swim 2019 10 1
C'est la vie! 2018 10 0
Portrait of a Lady on Fire 2020 10 1
Aline 2022 10 1

Directors with two or more awards

Director Noms. Wins.
Roman Polanski 5 5
Jacques Audiard 7 3
Alain Resnais 8 2
Bertrand Tavernier 7 2
Jean-Jacques Annaud 4 2
Claude Sautet 4 2
Abdellatif Kechiche 3 2

Actors with 7 or more nominations

Actor/Actress Noms. Wins
Gérard Depardieu 17 2
Isabelle Huppert 16 2
Daniel Auteuil 14 2
Catherine Deneuve 14 2
Karin Viard 13 3
Juliette Binoche 11 1
Nathalie Baye 10 4
Catherine Frot 10 2
Fabrice Luchini 10 1
Miou-Miou 10 1
Isabelle Adjani 9 5
Dominique Blanc 9 4
Sandrine Kiberlain 9 2
François Cluzet 9 1
Michel Serrault 8 3
Fanny Ardant 8 2
Jean-Hugues Anglade 8 1
Emmanuelle Béart 8 1
André Dussollier 7 3
Marion Cotillard 7 2
Charlotte Gainsbourg 7 2
Adèle Haenel 7 2
Noémie Lvovsky 7 0
Jean-Pierre Marielle 7 0

"Big Five" winners and nominees

Winners

  • The Last Metro (1980)
  1. Best Film: François Truffaut
  2. Best Director: François Truffaut
  3. Best Actor: Gérard Depardieu
  4. Best Actress: Catherine Deneuve
  5. Best Writing: Suzanne Schiffman and François Truffaut
  • Amour (2013)
  1. Best Film: Michael Haneke & Margaret Ménégoz
  2. Best Director: Michael Haneke
  3. Best Actor: Jean-Louis Trintignant
  4. Best Actress: Emmanuelle Riva
  5. Best Writing: Michael Haneke

Nominees

Four awards won

  • Smoking/No Smoking (1993): Best Actress (Sabine Azéma)
  • Too Beautiful for You (1989): Best Actor (Gérard Depardieu)

Three awards won

  • Cyrano de Bergerac (1990): Best Actress (Anne Brochet) and Writing (Jean-Claude Carrière and Jean-Paul Rappeneau)
  • Same Old Song (1997): Best Actress (Sabine Azéma) and Director (Alain Resnais)
  • The Artist (2011): Best Actor (Jean Dujardin) and Writing (Michel Hazanavicius)
  • Custody (2017): Best Actor (Denis Ménochet) and Director (Xavier Legrand)

Most acting wins and nominations for a film

Total Wins Film Actors
7 1 Polisse Actress: Marina Foïs and Karin Viard
Supporting Actor: Nicolas Duvauchelle, JoeyStarr and Frédéric Pierrot
Supporting Actress: Karole Rocher
Promising Actress Naidra Ayadi (won)
7 0 Camille redouble Actress: Noémie Lvovsky
Supporting Actor: Samir Guesmi and Michel Vuillermoz
Supporting Actress: Judith Chemla and Yolande Moreau
Promising Actress Julia Faure and India Hair
5 3 Same Old Song Actor: André Dussollier (won)
Actress: Sabine Azéma
Supporting Actor: Jean-Pierre Bacri (won)
Supporting Actress: Agnès Jaoui (won) and Lambert Wilson
4 3 Queen Margot Actress: Isabelle Adjani (won)
Supporting Actor: Jean-Hugues Anglade (won)
Supporting Actress: Dominique Blanc and Virna Lisi (won)
4 2 The Last Metro Actor: Gérard Depardieu (won)
Actress: Catherine Deneuve (won)
Supporting Actor: Heinz Bennent
Supporting Actress: Andréa Ferréol
4 1 Elle Actress: Isabelle Huppert (won)
Supporting Actor: Laurent Lafitte
Supporting Actress: Anne Consigny
Promising Actor: Jonas Bloquet
4 1 La Famille Bélier Actor: François Damiens
Actress: Karin Viard
Supporting Actor: Éric Elmosnino
Promising Actress: Louane Emera (won)
4 1 Too Beautiful for You Actor: Gérard Depardieu
Actress: Josiane Balasko and Carole Bouquet (won)
Supporting Actor: Roland Blanche
4 0 Amélie Actress: Audrey Tautou
Supporting Actor: Jamel Debbouze and Rufus
Supporting Actress: Isabelle Nanty
3 2 Amour Actor: Jean-Louis Trintignant (won)
Actress: Emmanuelle Riva (won)
Supporting Actress: Isabelle Huppert
3 2 What's in a Name Actor: Patrick Bruel
Supporting Actor: Guillaume de Tonquédec (won)
Supporting Actress: Valérie Benguigui (won)
3 1 Camille Claudel Actor: Gérard Depardieu
Actress: Isabelle Adjani (won)
Supporting Actor: Alain Cuny
3 1 Hippocrate Actor: Vincent Lacoste
Supporting Actor: Reda Kateb (won)
Supporting Actress: Marianne Denicourt
3 1 It's Only the End of the World Actor: Gaspard Ulliel (won)
Supporting Actor: Vincent Cassel
Supporting Actress: Nathalie Baye
3 1 La Vie en rose Actress: Marion Cotillard (won)
Supporting actor: Pascal Greggory
Supporting Actress: Sylvie Testud
3 1 Yves Saint Laurent Actor: Pierre Niney (won)
Supporting Actor: Guillaume Gallienne
Supporting Actress: Charlotte Le Bon
3 0 Ridicule Actor: Charles Berling
Supporting Actor: Bernard Giraudeau and Jean Rochefort
3 0 Saint Laurent Actor: Gaspard Ulliel
Supporting Actor: Louis Garrel and Jérémie Renier


References
ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

  1. "The César Ceremony" {{#invoke:webarchive|webarchive}}, Académie des arts et techniques du cinéma
  2. Annette' and 'Lost Illusions' Dominate César Awards 2022: Full Winners List. IndieWire (25 February 2022). Retrieved 25 February 2022.
  3. Edito: quand nos César font Boon » Le Blog d'Ecran Noir (in fr-FR).
  4. 2018-03-14, Références bibliographiques, Armand Colin, ISBN 9782200619824, DOI:10.3917/arco.hamus.2018.01.0271. Retrieved 2022-09-14 
  5. 2018-01-31, Les César jouent la carte grand public. Retrieved 2018-02-09 .
  6. 2018-01-31, Les César annoncent la création d'un prix du public. Retrieved 2018-01-31 .
  7. Claire Denis n'a pas hésité avant de remettre le César à Roman Polanski (in fr) (2020-03-01).
  8. Peltier, Elian, "Adèle Haenel: France 'Missed the Boat' on #MeToo", The New York Times, 2020-02-24. (written in en-US)
  9. What Happened at the César Awards Was a Setup For Silence (in en-US) (2020-02-29).
  10. César. César pour Polanski, Adèle Haenel quitte la cérémonie (in FR-fr).
  11. ""Bravo la pédophilie" : le coup de colère d'Adèle Haenel après la victoire de Roman Polanski aux César", Madame Figaro. (written in fr-FR)
  12. Adele Haenel : "Ils voulaient séparer l'homme de l'artiste, ils séparent aujourd'hui les artistes du monde" (in fr).
  13. César : A l'annonce de la victoire de Polanski, Adèle Haenel quitte la salle (in fr-FR).
  14. Yannick Dehée, Agnès Chauveau (2013). Dictionnaire de la télévision française. Nouveau Monde éditions. .
  15. (image) Le sculpteur César posant avec la première version du trophée, uniquement remis en 1976
  16. Robert Cravenne (1995). Le tour du monde du cinéma français. Dixit. .

External links

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