22/02/2008

French cinema will be in the spotlight this weekend with this evening’s Cesars 2008 ceremony at the Théâtre du Châtelet and Sunday evening’s 80th edition of the Oscars, where French films will be represented by ten nominations (see news) and Marion Cotillard as the shining star.

In Paris, the competition looks very open with a duel expected between auteur cinema in the form of The Secret of the Grain [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Hafsia Herzi
film profile] by Abdellatif Kechiche (who has garnered five nominations and was a prize-winner in 2005) and quality commercial cinema as represented by La Vie en Rose [+see also:
trailer
film profile] by Olivier Dahan (11 nominations).

But surprise success could be in store for Persepolis [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Marc-Antoine Robert
interview: Marjane Satrapi, Vincent Pa…
film profile] by directorial duo Marjane Satrapi and Vincent Paronnaud (six nominations – see Focus). The film will also compete in Los Angeles in the Best Animated Film category.

Outsider favourites include Claude Miller’s Un Secret [+see also:
trailer
film profile] (eleven nominations) and Julian Schnabel’s The Diving Bell and the Butterfly [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile], which will vie for honours on both sides of the Atlantic with seven Cesar and four Oscar nominations. The one to watch is the film’s star Mathieu Amalric, who will vie for a second Best Actor Cesar, after winning one in 2005.

This weekend, all eyes will be on Cotillard, who has already scooped a Golden Globe and a Bafta for her performance in La Vie en Rose, and who will be hoping to follow in the footsteps of Simone Signoret, the last French actress to win an Oscar in 1959. But the actress - who will soon shoot a film with Michael Mann alongside Johnny Depp - will first of all be aiming for success at home and hope to add to her collection of Cesars (Best Supporting Actress in 2005).

The ceremony in Paris will also see Jeanne Moreau and Roberto Benigni receive honorary Cesar awards.

Three European features (4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Cristian Mungiu
interview: Oleg Mutu
film profile], The Edge of Heaven [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Fatih Akin
interview: Klaus Maeck
film profile] and The Lives of Others [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Florian Henckel von Donners…
interview: Ulrich Muehe
film profile]) will compete for the title of Best Foreign Film of the year.

And as the evening of the Cesars is traditionally also a moment for protest, 200 independent cinemas across France will suspend screenings this evening to demand the "maintenance of a public policy supporting all cinemas and the entire sector" that are under threat due to a cut in funding allocated to regional areas by the Culture Ministry.

The nominations in the main categories:

Best Film
The Secret of the Grain - Abdellatif Kechiche
La Vie en Rose - Olivier Dahan
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly - Julian Schnabel
Persepolis - Marjane Satrapi & Vincent Paronnaud
Un secret - Claude Miller

Best Actor
Mathieu Amalric - The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Michel Blanc - The Witnesses
Jean-Pierre Darroussin - Conversations with my Gardener
Vincent Lindon - Ceux qui restent
Jean-Pierre Marielle - Faut que ça danse!

Best Actress
Isabelle Carré - Anna M.
Marion Cotillard - La Vie en Rose
Cécile de France - Un secret
Marina Foïs - Darling
Catherine Frot - Odette Toulemonde

Best Actor in a Supporting Role
Sami Bouajila - The Witnesses
Pascal Greggory - La Vie en Rose
Michael Lonsdale - Heartbeat Detector
Fabrice Luchini - Moliere
Laurent Stocker - Hunting and Gathering

Best Actress in a Supporting Role
Julie Depardieu - Un secret
Noémie Lvovsky - Actresses
Bulle Ogier - Faut que ça danse!
Ludivine Sagnier - Un secret
Sylvie Testud - La Vie en Rose

Best Director
Olivier Dahan - La Vie en Rose
Abdellatif Kechiche - The Secret of the Grain
Claude Miller - Un secret
Julian Schnabel - The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
André Téchiné - The Witnesses

Best Debut Film
Ceux qui restent - Anne le Ny
Just About Love? - Lola Doillon
Water Lilies - Céline Sciamma
Persepolis - Marjane Satrapi and Vincent Paronnaud
All Is Forgiven - Mia Hansen-Love

Best Foreign Film
4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days - Christian Mungiu
The Edge of Heaven- Fatih Akin
We Own the Night - James Gray
Eastern Promises - David Cronenberg
The Lives of Others - Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck

Best Female Newcomer
Audrey Dana - Crossed Tracks
Adèle Haenel - Water Lilies
Hafsia Herzi - The Secret of the Grain
Clotilde Hesme - Love Songs

Best Male Newcomer
Nicolas Cazalé- The Grocer’s Son
Grégoire Leprince-Ringuet - Love Songs
Johan Libéreau - The Witnesses
Jocelyn Quivrin - 99 F
Laurent Stocker - Hunting and Gathering

Best Original Screenplay
Olivier Dahan - La Vie en Rose
Julie Delpy - 2 Days in Paris
Abdellatif Kechiche - i>The secret of the Grain
Anne le Ny - Ceux qui restent
Laurent Tirard and Grégoire Vigneron - Moliere

Best Adapted Screenplay
Claude Berri - Hunting and Gathering
Christine Carrière - Darling
Ronald Harwood - The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Claude Miller and Nathalie Carter - Un secret
Marjane Satrapi and Vincent Paronnaud - Persepolis

Best Original Score
Alex Beaupain - Love Songs
Olivier Bernet - Persepolis
Alexandre Desplat - Intimate Enemies Zbigniew Preisner - Un secret
Archie Shepp - Faut que ça danse!

Best Production Design
Françoise Dupertuis - Moliere
Thierry Flamand (ADC) - The Second Wind
Jean-Pierre et Kohut Svelko - Un secret
Christian Marti - Jacquou le croquant
Olivier Raoux - La Vie en Rose

Best Cinematography
Yves Angelo - The Second Wind
Gérard de Battista - Un secret
Giovanni Fiore Coltellacci - Intimate Enemies
Janusz Kaminski - The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Tetsuo Nagata - La Vie en Rose

Best Sound
Antoine Deflandre, Germain Boulay and Eric Tisserand - Intimate Enemies
Guillaume Le Braz, Valérie Deloof, Agnès Ravez and Thierry Delor - Love Songs
Thierry Lebon, Eric Chevallier and Samy Bardet - Persepolis
Jean-Paul Mugel, Francis Wargnier and Dominique Gaborieau - The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Laurent Zeilig, Pascal Villard et Jean-Paul Hurier - La Vie en Rose

Best Editing
Ghalya Lacroixet Camille Toubkis - The Secret of the Grain
Véronique Lange - Un secret
Richard Marizy and Yves Beloniak - La Vie en Rose
Stéphane Roche - Persepolis
Juliette Welfling - The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

Best Costume Design
Marit Allen La Vie en Rose
Jacqueline Bouchard - Un secret
Corinne Jorry - The Second Wind
Pierre-Jean Larroque - Moliere
Jean-Daniel Vuillermoz - Jacquou le croquant

Best Documentary Film
Animals in Love - Laurent Charbonnier
Terror’s Advocate - Barbet Schroeder
Les Lip, l'imagination au pouvoir - Christian Rouaud
The First Cry - Gilles de Maistre
Back to Normandy - Nicolas Philibert

Best Short
Deweneti - Dyana Gaye
Le Mozart des pickpockets - Philippe Pollet-Villard
Premier voyage - Grégoire Sivan
La promenade - Marina de Van
Rachel - Frédéric Mermoud

(Translated from French)