10/02/2009

The annual Golden Star Awards – presented yesterday evening at the Espace Pierre Cardin in Paris by journalists and critics from the French film press – crowned Laurent Cantet’s The Class [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Carole Scotta
interview: Laurent Cantet
film profile] Best French Film of 2008.

At this 10th edition of the awards, Vincent Cassel picked up Best Actor for his role as the gangster Jacques Mesrine in Jean-François Richet’s diptych Public Enemy Number One (Part 1) [+see also:
trailer
film profile] and Public Enemy Number One (Part 2) [+see also:
trailer
film profile]. Meanwhile, Belgium’s Yolande Moreau won Best Actress for her performance in Martin Provost’s Séraphine [+see also:
trailer
film profile].

The Golden Star for Best French Director of 2008 went to Arnaud Despleschin for A Christmas Tale [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile]. Rémi Bezançon’s The First Day of the Rest of Your Life [+see also:
trailer
film profile] scooped Best Screenplay.

The Golden Star for Best Debut Film was shared by two features: Pierre Schoeller’s Versailles [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Geraldine Michelot
interview: Pierre Schoeller
film profile] and Samuel Collardey’s L’apprenti [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] (“The Apprentice”). Meanwhile, Agnès Varda’s The Beaches of Agnès [+see also:
trailer
film profile] won top honours in the documentary category.

Tomer Sisley was named Best Male Newcomer of the Year for his debut role in Jérôme Salle’s Largo Winch [+see also:
trailer
film profile] and Nora Arnezeder picked up Best Female Newcomer for her performance in Christophe Barratier’s Paris 36 [+see also:
trailer
film profile]. The latter film also earned composer Reinhardt Wagner the prize for Best Original Score.

Finally, the Golden Star for Best French Film Producer of 2008 went to Carole Scotta and Caroline Benjo of Haut et Court. Meanwhile, François Ivernel of Pathé Distribution triumphed in the distributor category.

(Translated from French)