PARIS | Shaken by a new wave of allegations of sexual violence, French cinema meets for the 49th time on Friday eveninge Edition of César, with the film Anatomy of a fall one of the big favorites. What can we expect?
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The shadow of #MeToo
From the behavior of Gérard Depardieu to the allegations of rape of a minor by actress Judith Godrèche against filmmakers Benoît Jacquot and Jacques Doillon to the statements of other actresses – the question of sexual violence is once again occupying French cinema.
And with that comes the idea that among the filmmakers, actors and other professionals of the seventh art that will take place at the Olympia, some have been able to turn a blind eye to such facts.
A priori, none of the people mentioned are the subject of allegations. Actor Samuel Theis (“Anatomy of a Fall”) is under investigation after a technician filed a rape complaint against him while filming a film last summer, but he is not among those named.
More broadly, the César Academy now applies the rule of “not highlighting” people who would be accused by the judiciary “of acts of violence”: no invitation to events related to the César, no discount statuette on stage or speeches in the event of one In case the winner is worried.
Everyone remembers the disastrous 2020 edition in which Roman Polanski, accused of rape, won the best director award for “J'accuse”, which led to the actress Adèle Haenel dropping out of the ceremony. As Florence Foresti tried to do with Polanski in 2020, the theme will perhaps be approached from the angle of humor on stage during the ceremony conducted by Valérie Lemercier.
Justine and the others
As far as awards go, Anatomy of a Fall, Palme d'Or at Cannes and five-time Oscar nominee, looks set to continue its extraordinary journey. It received 11 nominations and the trophy for best film could be played between this feature film by Justine Triet and The Animal Kingdom, a fantastic film by Thomas Cailley, which also combined critical and theatrical success (12 nominations).
The two filmmakers are also in the running for best director: at 45, Justine Triet will make César history when she becomes the second female director to win this trophy, a quarter of a century after Tonie Marshall (Vénus Beauté (institut) in 2000) .
In a sign that things are changing, two more directors (out of five) are in the running: Catherine Breillat, 75, for “Last Summer,” a story of incest in a bourgeois setting starring Léa Drucker (nominated for best actress), and Jeanne Herry with I will Always See Your Faces, choral film about justice.
As for the cast, German actress Sandra Hülser is in the running for “Anatomy of a Fall,” as is Hafsia Herzi for “The Rapture,” 16 years after she was named Best Hope.
Romain Duris (The Animal Kingdom), his fifth César nomination in his 30-year career, finally won.
Raphaël Quenard, the revelation of the year, is in the running for both Best Hope (for “Dog from the Junkyard”) and Best Actor (for the comedy “Yannick”).
Cast of actors
As a ritual meeting, the Caesar ceremony is still searching for the magic formula that would allow it to expand its television audience. Last year, the Césars saw an increase of 1.7 million viewers. The selection of different actors following each other around the stage helped break up the monotony of the evening.
The experience is renewed, with sure values of humor and comedy (Dany Boon, Jean-Pascal Zadi, Paul Mirabel) as well as actors and actresses appreciated by the audience (Juliette Binoche, Benoît Magimel, Bérénice Béjo…). will share the exercise. The actress and director Agnès Jaoui and the American-British filmmaker Christopher Nolan (Oppenheimer) will be awarded honorary Césars.
The evening, which is often the occasion for political or social demands, will also be a baptism of fire for the new Minister of Culture Rachida Dati.
The evening is scheduled to begin at 9:00 p.m. (3:00 p.m. Quebec time) at L'Olympia and will be broadcast unencrypted on Canal+.