Record trophies, rival brothers and a film with worldwide success, the César ceremony which takes place this Friday, February 23, looks rather promising. Broadcast unencrypted at 9 p.m. on Canal+, this 49th edition could also turn out to be very political.
The recent testimonies of actress Judith Godrèche have largely resurfaced the #MeToo movement in France. The latter could speak on the stage of the Olympia, a way of confronting, according to her, the silence surrounding the subject of sexual violence which reigns in the French cinema industry.
An evening hosted by thirteen masters of ceremonies
No more shows by Antoine de Caunes, Edouard Baer or Florence Forresti. Since last year, the Académie des César has opted for a collegial presentation. According to this new principle, the 49th César ceremony will have thirteen hosts, including a majority of actors and actresses.
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Throughout the evening, Ariane Ascaride, Bérénice Bejo, Dali Benssalah, Juliette Binoche, Dany Boon, Bastien Bouillon, Audrey Diwan, Ana Girardot, Diane Kruger, Benoît Magimel, Paul Mirabel, Nadia Tereszkiewicz and Jean-Pascal Zadi will follow one another throughout the evening. on the Olympia stage. More the merrier, the merrier ? The formula had in any case won over the public last year, the ceremony recording 1.7 million viewers compared to 1.3 million in 2022, the lowest audiences in the history of the Césars.
Winner and host, Valérie Lemercier becomes president
Valérie Lemercier is one of the very familiar figures of the Césars. Mistress of ceremonies in 2006, 2007 and 2010, the actress also won three bronze statuettes. She was awarded the César for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for Visitors in 1994 and for Orchestra chairs in 2007 before receiving the César for best actress in 2022 for the film Aline, a fiction inspired by the life of Céline Dion of which she is also the director. Thirty years after her first trophy, Valérie Lemercier became president of the ceremony and at the same time the first person to be winner, host and president at the same time.
A majority of women in the running for the César for best director
This is a first in the history of the French cinema awards ceremony. Three of the five people nominated to win the César for best director are women, a majority therefore. Among them, the director ofAnatomy of a fall Justine Triet emerges as favorite. She will compete with Jeanne Herry (I will always see your faces), Catherine Breillat (Last summer), Cedric Kahn (The Goldman Trial) and Thomas Cailley (The Animal Kingdom).
Are nominated for the CESAR FOR BEST DIRECTOR… #César2024 pic.twitter.com/5oAE8cumPQ
— Académie des César (@Les_Cesar) January 24, 2024
The awarding of the César for best director to one of the three filmmakers in the running would constitute an important event in the history of the ceremony. Jeanne Herry, Catherine Breillat or Justine Triet would indeed become the second woman to win the prestigious trophy. In forty-nine years of competition, only director Tony Marshall has been rewarded in this category for her film Venus beauty (Institute). It was the year 2000.
The Césars before the Oscars for “Anatomy of a Fall”
Among the favorites of the evening, Anatomy of a fall enjoys an extraordinary international career. After receiving the Palme d’Or at the 76th edition of the Cannes Film Festival, Justine Triet’s film won the Golden Globes and the Baftas, winning the trophies for best screenplay. If Anatomy of a fall was not chosen to represent France at the Oscars for best foreign film, the feature film was nominated in five categories at the American awards ceremony. Among its nominations, that of best film and best direction.
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The César ceremony constitutes the penultimate major stage for Justine Triet’s film. Anatomy of a fall stands out among the big favorites of the evening with 11 nominations. The Animal Kingdom by Thomas Cailley, with 12 nominations, presents itself as its main competitor, notably for the César for best film and the César for best direction.
After the testimonies of Judith Godrèche, an evening at the heart of #MeToo
Gérard Depardieu, Benoît Jacquot, Philippe Garrel, Jacques Doillon, Alain Corneau… For several months, directors and major actors in French cinema have been the subject of accusations of harassment, sexual violence and/or rape. Among the testimonies, those of actress Judith Godrèche appear to give new impetus to the #MeToo movement in France. She accuses the filmmakers Benoît Jacquot and Jacques Doillon of rape of a minor. Actress Isild Le Beco also accused these two directors.
As the César ceremony approaches, Judith Godrèche called on her Instagram account to “hear” victims of violence. “We want to be heard. And heard. Every day. Once and for all”, could we read in a text published on his profile on February 21. The actress did not specify whether or not she would speak, as the newspaper announced The Parisian Tuesday February 20. “Let’s not talk about my presence or absence at the Césars, let’s talk about the 2 990 women, mothers and men who wrote to me in seven days, let’s talk about child victims of incest”, also wrote Judith Godrèche, still on her Instagram account.
If nothing is yet confirmed, a speech during the ceremony would become a strong symbol of the actress for the attention of the French film industry. This has been shaken since last December by the accusations against Gérard Depardieu and the various positions taken towards him in the world of culture.
The CGT Spectacles will demonstrate in front of the Olympia
“The violence, the silences: that’s enough.” The CGT Spectacles called on Wednesday February 21 to demonstrate in front of the Olympia ahead of the César ceremony. In a press release published to announce the movement, the union organization expressed its support for actress Judith Godrèche: “Judith Godrèche has the courage to tell us about a story of violence. About her story! The story of so many other women who, more and more, tell of the control that certain men exercise over them, the violence sexist and sexual violence that they experienced in a professional environment.
No guests convicted or indicted
Four years after Polanski’s coronation and the departure of Adèle Haenel and other spectators in the middle of the awards ceremony, the ceremony adopted new rules. En 2023, the Académie des César had already announced that people implicated by the courts for acts of violence, particularly sexist or sexual, would no longer be “highlighted”. The measure was taken following the indictment for “rape” and “violence against a spouse” of Sofiane Bennacer, the actor in the film. The Almond Trees by Valéria Bruni-Tedeschi, who was among the list of male revelations.
On January 24, the Académie des César published a press release announcing the renewal and amplification of this invisibility measure. In short, a person indicted or convicted of violence will not be admitted to the César evening, nor to any associated event.
However, it is not impossible for a person indicted to be rewarded. As such, the press release specifies that “if at the end of the two rounds of voting, the voting members of the Academy decided to award a César to a person who is the subject of legal indictment, this vote would not give rise to any César award on stage or in any speech by or for the person concerned(…)”.
Agnès Jaoui becomes the most successful woman in the history of the ceremony
Like American director Christopher Nolan, Agnès Jaoui will receive an honorary César during the ceremony. Already winner of six awards including four for best screenplay, one for best supporting actress and one for best film, Agnès Jaoui will obtain a seventh statuette during the 49th edition.
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The award will make her the most awarded female artist in the history of the ceremony. On the men’s side, the record is ten Caesars. It is owned by directors Jacques Audiard and Roman Polanski.
Christopher Nolan on stage at the Olympia to receive an honorary César
Cate Blanchett, George Clooney, Micheal Douglas, Scarlett Johansson and Quentin Tarantino, the Academy of Cinema Arts and Techniques has the custom of distinguishing the biggest stars of Hollywood. This year, she chose to celebrate the cinema of Christopher Nolan.
The director of Tenet, Intestellar or Inception will receive an honorary César on February 23. This award will complement the many trophies won by the filmmaker since the start of the year for Oppenheimer. Crowned best film at the Golden Globes and the BAafta, the feature film about the father of the atomic bomb will continue its race for awards at the Oscars. The film is nominated in 13 categories.
Two brothers competing for the César for Most Promising Actor
The first played in The Animal Kingdom by Thomas Cailley, the second in Last summer by Catherine Breillat. Aged 22 and 19, Paul and Samuel Kircher will compete on Friday February 23 for the César for Most Promising Actor, a category in which the eldest was already nominated last year for his role in The High School Student by Christophe Honoré. Never before have two members of the same siblings met face to face during the awards ceremony.
The competition promises to be tough for the sons ofThe actors Irène Jacob and Jérôme Kircher. The brothers will in fact be in competition with Julien Frison for his role in Marguerite’s Theorem, Milo Machado Graner for his role in Anatomy of a fall and Raphaël Quenard for his role in Dog of the breakage, a final formidable suitor. Widely presented as “the revelation of the year”, Raphaël Quenard is also nominated in the best actor category for his performance in Yannick by Quentin Dupieux.