Poliss and The Minister challenge The Artist

by Fabien Lemercier

27/01/2012 - With 13 nominations (including seven for its actors), Maïwenn’s Poliss [trailer, film focus] dominates the list of nominees for the 2012 Césars, to be awarded on February 24. Making the most of the rise from five to seven nominees in the categories of Best Director, Best Actor and Best Actress, the film equals the César nomination record jointly held by Cyrano de Bergerac (1991) and A Prophet [trailer, film focus] (2010).

Next in line are Pierre Schoeller’s The Minister [trailer, film focus] (11 nominations), Michel Hazanavicius’s The Artist [trailer, film focus] (ten nominations) and directorial duo Eric Toledano and Olivier Nakache’s box-office comedy hit Untouchable [trailer] (nine nominations). There are also six nominations for Valérie Donzelli’s Declaration of War [trailer]. These five aforementioned features will vie for the Best Film César, alongside French co-production Le Havre [trailer, film focus] by Finland’s Aki Kaurismäki and Pater [trailer, film focus] by Alain Cavalier.

Battling it out for the Best Actor crown, Jean Dujardin, who triumphed at Cannes, at the Golden Globes and is nominated for the Oscar, will be up against the duo from phenomenal hit film Untouchable: Omar Sy and François Cluzet (who scooped the César in 2007). Outsider contenders include Philippe Torreton (winner in 1996 and nominated for Guilty [trailer]), Sami Bouajila (Omar Killed Me [trailer]), Belgian actor Olivier Gourmet (The Minister) and Denis Podalydès (The Conquest [trailer]).

Vying for Best Actress are two former winners of the award: Ariane Ascaride (winner in 1998 and competing this time with The Snows of Kilimanjaro [trailer, film focus]) and Karin Viard (winner in 2000 and in the running this year with Poliss). Five actresses will try to claim their first gong at this level: Bérénice Bejo (The Artist), Leïla Bekhti (The Source [trailer]), Valérie Donzelli (Declaration of War), Marina Fois (Poliss) and Marie Gillain (All Our Desires [trailer]).

Finally, Melancholia [trailer, film focus] by Denmark’s Lars von Trier and The Kid With a Bike [trailer, film focus] by Belgium’s Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne are among the contenders for the Best Foreign Language Film César.

The nominations:

Best Film
The Minister - produced by Denys Freid, directed by Pierre Schoeller
Declaration of War produced by Edouard Weil, directed by Valérie Donzelli
Le Havre - produced by Fabienne Vonier, directed by Aki Kaurismäki
Untouchable - produced by Nicolas Duval Adassovsky, Yann Zenou and Laurent Zeitoun, directed by Eric Toledano and Olivier Nakache
Pater - produced by Michel Seydoux, directed by Alain Cavalier
Poliss - produced by Alain Attal, directed by Maïwenn
The Artist - produced by Thomas Langmann, directed by Michel Hazanavicius

Best Actress
Ariane Ascaride - The Snows of Kilimanjaro
Bérénice Béjo - The Artist
Leïla Bekhti - The Source
Valérie Donzelli - Declaration of War
Marina Fois - Poliss
Marie Gillain - All Our Desires
Karin Viard - Poliss

Best Actor
Sami Bouajila - Omar Killed Me
François Cluzet - Untouchable
Jean Dujardin - The Artist
Olivier Gourmet - The Minister
Denis Podalydès - The Conquest
Omar Sy - Untouchable
Philippe Torreton - Guilty

Best Director
Alain Cavalier - Pater
Valérie Donzelli - Declaration of War
Michel Hazanavicius - The Artist
Aki Kaurismäki - Le Havre
Maïwenn - Poliss
Pierre Schoeller - The Minister
Eric Toledano and Olivier Nakache - Untouchable

Best Original Screenplay
Valérie Donzelli and Jérémie Elkaïm - Declaration of War
Michel Hazanavicius - The Artist
Maïwenn and Emmanuelle Bercot - Poliss
Pierre Schoeller - The Minister
Eric Toledano and Olivier Nakache - Untouchable

Best Adapted Screenplay
David Foenkinos - Delicacy
Vincent Garenq - Guilty
Olivier Gorce, Roschdy Zem, Rachid Bouchareb and Olivier Lorelle - Omar Killed Me
Mathieu Kassovitz, Pierre Geller and Benoît Jaubert - Rebellion
Yasmina Rez and Roman Polanski - Carnage

Best Actress in a Supporting Role
Zabou Breitman - The Minister
Anne Le Ny - Untouchable
Noémie Lvovsky - House of Tolerance
Carmen Maura - Service Entrance
Karole Rocher - Poliss

Best Actor in a Supporting Role
Michel Blanc - The Minister
Nicolas Duvauchelle - Poliss
JoeyStarr - Poliss
Bernard Le Coq - The Conquest
Frédéric Pierrot - Poliss

Best Female Newcomer
Naidra Ayadi - Poliss
Adèle Haenel - House of Tolerance
Clotilde Hesme - Angèle and Tony
Céline Sallette – House of Tolerance [trailer]
Christa Theret - Twiggy [trailer]

Best Male Newcomer
Nicolas Bridet - You Will Be My Son [trailer]
Grégory Gadebois - Angèle and Tony [trailer]
Guillaume Gouix - Jimmy Rivière [trailer] by Teddy Lussi-Modeste
Pierre Nimey - J'aime Regarder les Filles [trailer]
Dimitri Storoge - A Gang Story [trailer]

Best Animated Film
The Rabbi’s Cat [trailer] - Joann Sfar & Antoine Delesvaux
The Circus - Nicolas Brault
A Mouse’s Tale - Benjamin Renner
The Painting [trailer] - Jean-François Laguionie
A Monster in Paris [trailer] - Bibo Bergeron

Best Documentary Film
Le Bal des Menteurs - Daniel Leconte
Crazy Horse - Frederick Wiseman
Here We Drown Algerians - Yasmina Adi
Michel Petrucciani - Michael Radford
Leader-Sheep - Christian Rouaud

Best Debut Film
17 Girls [trailer] - Delphine and Muriel Coulin
Angèle and Tony - Alix Delaporte
When Pigs Have Wings - Sylvain Estibal
Delicacy [trailer] - David and Stéphane Foenkinos
My Little Princess [trailer] - Eva Ionesco

Best Cinematography
Pierre Aïm - Poliss
Josée Deshaies - House of Tolerance
Julien Hirsch - The Minister
Guillaume Schiffman - The Artist
Mathieu Vadepied - Untouchable

Best Editing
Anne-Sophie Brion and Michel Hazanavicius - The Artist
Laurence Briaud - The Minister
Pauline Gaillard - Declaration of War
Laure Gardette et Yann Dedet - Poliss
Dorian Rigal Ansous - Untouchable

Best Original Score
Alex Beaupain - The Beloved
Bertrand Bonello - House of Tolerance
Ludovic bource - The Artist
M and Patrice Renson - A Monster in Paris
Philippe Schoeller - The Minister

Best Sound
Pascal Armant, Jean Goudier and Jean-Paul Hurier - Untouchable
Jean-Pierre Duret, Nicolas Moreau and Jean-Pierre Laforce - House of Tolerance
Olivier Hespel, Julie Brenta and Jean-Pierre Laforce - The Minister
Nicolas Provost, Rym Debbarh-Mounir and Emmanuel Croset - Poliss
André Rigaut, Sébastien Savine and Laurent Gabiot - Declaration of War

Best Costume Design
Catherine Baba - My little Princess
Mark Bridges - The Artist
Christian Gasc - Service Entrance
Viorica Petrovici - The Source
Anaïs Romand - House of Tolerance

Best Production Design
Laurence Bennet - The Artist
Alain Guffroy - House of Tolerance
Pierre-François Limbosch - Service Entrance
Jean Marc Tran Tan Ba - The Minister
Wouters Zoon - Le Havre

Best Short Film
The Piano Tuner - Olivier Treiner
Early Rising France - Hugo Chesnard
I Could’ve Been A Whore - Baya Kasmi
I Could Be Your Grandmother - Bernard Tanguy
A World Without Women - Guillaume Brac

Best Foreign Film
Black Swan - Darren Aronofsky
The King’s Speech [trailer, film focus] - Tom Hooper
Drive - Nicolas Winding Refn
The Kid With A Bike [trailer, film focus] - Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne
Scorched - Denis Villeneuve
Melancholia [trailer, film focus] - Lars von Trier
A Separation - Asghar Farhadi

(Translated from French)