Best Film Of Gods and Men, gongs for Polanski, Elmosnino and Forestier

by Fabien Lemercier

25/02/2011 - In Paris on Friday evening, the top favourite for the 2011 Césars triumphed without crushing the other contenders at the awards ceremony presided over by Jodie Foster. With 11 César nominations, Xavier Beauvois’s Cannes prize-winner Of Gods and Men [trailer, film focus] was crowned Best Film of 2010, also nabbing Best Actor in a Supporting Role for Michael Lonsdale and Best Cinematography for Caroline Champetier.

Roman Polanski’s The Ghost Writer [trailer] picked up the biggest number of trophies with four Césars (Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Editing and Best Original Score), while Joann Sfar’s Je T’Aime, Moi Non Plus [trailer] scored an impressive hat-trick (Best Actor for Eric Elmosnino, Best Debut Film and Best Sound).

The surprise of the evening was the Best Actress Award for 24-year-old Sara Forestier (winner of the Best Female Newcomer César in 2006) for Michel Leclerc’s social comedy The Names of Love [trailer], which also took the César for Best Original Screenplay.

In the Best Newcomer categories, the winners were Leïla Bekhti (All That Glitters [trailer]) and Edgar Ramírez (Carlos [trailer]). Anne Alvaro won her second Best Supporting Actress César (after winning it in 2001) for The Clink of Ice [trailer].

Meanwhile, despite receiving seven and five nominations respectively, On Tour [trailer, film focus] and Heartbreaker [trailer] went home empty-handed.

Finally, as expected, the Best Animated Film César went to Sylvain Chomet’s The Illusionist [trailer, film focus], Best Documentary to Oceans [trailer] by Jacques Perrin and Jacques Cluzaud, and Best Foreign Film to David Fincher’s The Social Network.

2011 César award-winners:

Best Film
Of Gods and Men [trailer, film focus] - Xavier Beauvois

Best Actress
Sara Forestier - The Names of Love [trailer]

Best Actor
Eric Elmosnino - Je T’Aime, Moi Non Plus [trailer]

Best Director
Roman Polanski - The Ghost Writer

Best Original Screenplay
Michel Leclerc & Baya Kasmi - The Names of Love

Best Adapted Screenplay
Robert Harris & Roman Polanski - The Ghost Writer

Best Debut Film
Je T’Aime, Moi Non Plus - Joann Sfar

Best Animated Film
The Illusionist [trailer, film focus] - Sylvain Chomet

Best Documentary Film
Oceans [trailer] - Jacques Perrin & Jacques Cluzaud

Best Actress in a Supporting Role
Anne Alvaro - The Clink of Ice [trailer]

Best Actor in a Supporting Role
Michael Lonsdale - Of Gods and Men

Best Female Newcomer
Leïla Bekhti - All That Glitters [trailer]

Best Male Newcomer
Edgar Ramírez - Carlos [trailer]

Best Cinematography
Caroline Champetier - Of Gods and Men

Best Editing
Hervé de Luze - The Ghost Writer

Best Costume Design
Caroline de Vivaise - The Princess of Montpensier [trailer]

Best Production Design
Hughes Tissandier - The Extraordinary Adventures of Adèle Blanc-Sec [trailer]

Best Sound
Daniel Sobrino, Jean Goudier, Cyril Holtz - Je T’Aime, Moi Non Plus

Best Original Score
Alexandre Desplat - The Ghost Writer

Best Short Film
Logoroma - H5 (François Alaux, Hervé de Crécy and Ludovic Houplain)

Best Foreign Film
The Social Network - David Fincher

(Translated from French)