28/02/2009

Auteur cinema reigned supreme once again in France on Friday evening when Martin Provost’s Séraphine [+see also:
trailer
film profile] (see news) swept up seven Cesars at the 34th edition of the annual French film awards.

Crowned Best Film, the title also scooped Best Actress for Belgium’s Yolande Moreau (who joins the select group of two-time winners of the award, four years after her Cesar for When the Sea Rises), Best Original Screenplay, Best Original Score, Best Cinematography, Best Production Design and Best Costume Design.

Provost’s third feature (which also stars German actor Ulrich Tukur) was produced by TS Productions for €3.9m. This included co-production funding from France 3 Cinéma and Belgium’s Climax Films, an advance on receipts from the National Film Centre (CNC) and backing from the Ile-de-France region, Canal +, Ciné Cinéma, RTBF and the French Community of Belgium.

After 18 weeks on release in France (distributed by Diaphana), the film has so far attracted over 570,000 viewers.

The Cesars ceremony also brought success for Jean-François Richet’s Public Enemy diptych, which received Best Director, Best Actor (Vincent Cassel) and Best Sound.

Triple honours also went to Rémi Bezançon’s The First Day of the Rest of Your Life (Best Male and Female Newcomer, Best Editing), while Philippe Claudel’s I’ve Loved You So Long won both Best Debut Film and Best Actress in a Supporting Role.

The Class (Best Adapted Screenplay) and A Christmas Tale (Best Actor in a Supporting Role) received just one award each.

Meanwhile, Israeli director Ari Folman’s Waltz With Bashir was crowned Best Foreign Film and Agnès Varda’s The Beaches of Agnès took home Best Documentary.

Full list of award winners:

Best Film
Séraphine [+see also:
trailer
film profile] - Martin Provost

Best Actor
Vincent Cassel - Public Enemy Number One (Part 1) [+see also:
trailer
film profile], Public Enemy Number One (Part 2) [+see also:
trailer
film profile]

Best Actress
Yolande Moreau - Séraphine

Best Director
Jean-François Richet - Public Enemy Number One (Part 1), Public Enemy Number One (Part 2)

Best Actor in a Supporting Role
Jean-Paul Roussillon - A Christmas Tale [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile]

Best Actress in a Supporting Role
Elsa Zylberstein - I’ve Loved You So Long [+see also:
trailer
film profile]

Best Debut Film
I’ve Loved You So Long - Philippe Claudel

Best Documentary Film
The Beaches of Agnès [+see also:
trailer
film profile] - Agnès Varda

Best Foreign Film
Waltz with Bashir [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] - Ari Folman

Best Male Newcomer
Marc-André Grondin - The First Day of the Rest of Your Life [+see also:
trailer
film profile]

Best Female Newcomer
Déborah François - The First Day of the Rest of Your Life

Best Original Screenplay
Marc Abdelnour & Martin Provost - Séraphine

Best Adapted Screenplay
Laurent Cantet, François Begaudeau & Robin Campillo - The Class [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Carole Scotta
interview: Laurent Cantet
film profile]

Best Original Score
Michael Galasso - Séraphine

Best Production Design
Thierry François - Séraphine

Best Cinematography
Laurent Brunet - Séraphine

Best Editing
Sophie Reine - The First Day of the Rest of Your Life

Best Costume Design
Madeline Fontaine - Séraphine

Best Sound
Jean Minondo, Gérard Hardy, Alexandre Widmer, Loïc Prian, François Groult & Hervé Buirette - Public Enemy Number One

Best Short Film
Les miettes - Pierre Pinaud

(Translated from French)