25/01/2017 - Paul Verhoeven’s and François Ozon’s films outpace Slack Bay, From the Land of the Moon and Divines in the Césars race

With 11 nods each, Elle [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] by Paul Verhoeven (unveiled in competition at Cannes) and Frantz [+see also:
film review
trailer
Q&A: François Ozon
film profile] by François Ozon (which was premiered at Venice) dominate the list of titles selected for the 2017 César Awards, due to be handed out on 24 February. They are followed by three other movies that were screened on the Croisette: Slack Bay [+see also:
film review
trailer
Q&A: Bruno Dumont
film profile] by Bruno Dumont with nine nominations, From the Land of the Moon [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] by Nicole Garcia with eight and Divines [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Houda Benyamina
film profile] by Houda Benyamina, which racked up seven nominations. These five features will be duking it out for the title of Best French Film of the Year, alongside Agnus Dei [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Lou de Laâge
film profile] by Anne Fontaine (four nods) and In Bed with Victoria [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Justine Triet
film profile] by Justine Triet (five nominations).

Among the seven performers hoping to be crowned Best Actress are two former winners: Isabelle Huppert (who was victorious in 1996 and is now nominated for the 16^th time), who was chosen for Elle, and Marion Cotillard (who triumphed in 2008), in the running with From the Land of the Moon. Five actresses will be attempting to win for the first time in this category: young performers Judith Chemla (A Woman’s Life [+see also:
film review
trailer
Q&A: Stéphane Brizé
film profile]) and Soko (The Dancer [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile]), Belgium’s Virginie Efira (In Bed with Victoria), Marina Foïs (Faultless [+see also:
trailer
film profile]) and Denmark’s Sidse Babett Knudsen (who won last year’s César for Best Supporting Actress and is in the running this time for 150 Milligrams [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile]).

As for the Best Actor Award, this will be fought over by three former winners: François Cluzet (who won in 2007 and has been nominated for the sixth time), for Irreplaceable [+see also:
trailer
film profile], Omar Sy (victorious in 2012) for Chocolat [+see also:
trailer
making of
film profile] and Pierre Niney (crowned in 2015), who has been nominated for his performance in Frantz. Four actors who have never previously won the trophy will be locking horns with them: Fabrice Luchini (nominated for the sixth time with Slack Bay), Pierre Deladonchamps (A Kid [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Philippe Lioret
film profile]), Nicolas Duvauchelle (A Decent Man [+see also:
trailer
film profile]) and Gaspard Ulliel (It’s Only the End of the World [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile]).

We should also note the presence of six European films among the seven nominees for the César Award for Best Foreign Film: I, Daniel Blake [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] by British director Ken Loach, Toni Erdmann [+see also:
film review
trailer
Q&A: Maren Ade
film profile] by Germany’s Maren Ade, Graduation [+see also:
film review
trailer
Q&A: Cristian Mungiu
interview: Cristian Mungiu
film profile] by Romania’s Cristian Mungiu, The Unknown Girl [+see also:
film review
trailer
Q&A: Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne
film profile] by Belgium’s Luc and Jean-Pierre Dardenne, and the co-productions Aquarius [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] by Brazil’s Kleber Mendonça Filho and It’s Only the End of the World by Canada’s Xavier Dolan.

Here is the full list of nominees:

Best Film 
Divines [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Houda Benyamina
film profile] - Houda Benyamina
Elle [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] - Paul Verhoeven
Frantz [+see also:
film review
trailer
Q&A: François Ozon
film profile] - François Ozon
Agnus Dei [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Lou de Laâge
film profile] - Anne Fontaine
Slack Bay [+see also:
film review
trailer
Q&A: Bruno Dumont
film profile] - Bruno Dumont
From the Land of the Moon [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] - Nicole Garcia
In Bed with Victoria [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Justine Triet
film profile] - Justine Triet

Best Actress 
Judith Chemla – A Woman’s Life [+see also:
film review
trailer
Q&A: Stéphane Brizé
film profile]
Marion Cotillard – From the Land of the Moon 
Virginie Efira – In Bed with Victoria
Marina Foïs - Faultless [+see also:
trailer
film profile]
Isabelle Huppert - Elle 
Sidse Babett Knudsen – 150 Milligrams [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile]
Soko – The Dancer [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile]

Best Actor 
François Cluzet - Irreplaceable [+see also:
trailer
film profile]
Pierre Deladonchamps – A Kid [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Philippe Lioret
film profile]
Nicolas Duvauchelle – A Decent Man [+see also:
trailer
film profile]
Fabrice Luchini – Slack Bay 
Pierre Niney – Frantz
Omar Sy - Chocolat [+see also:
trailer
making of
film profile]
Gaspar Ulliel – It’s Only the End of the World [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile]

Best Director
Houda Benyamina – Divines
Paul Verhoeven – Elle
François Ozon – Frantz
Anne Fontaine – Agnus Dei 
Xavier Dolan – It’s Only the End of the World 
Bruno Dumont – Slack Bay 
Nicole Garcia – From the Land of the Moon

Best Original Screenplay 
Romain Compingt, Houda Benyamina, Malik Rumeau – Divines
Solveig Anspach, Jean-Luc Gaget – The Together Project [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile]
Sabrina B Karine, Alice Vial, Pascal Bonitzer, Anne Fontaine – Agnus Dei 
Bruno Dumont – Slack Bay 
Justine Triet – In Bed with Victoria

Best Adaptation 
David Birke – Elle
Séverine Bosschem, Emmanuelle Bercot – 150 Milligrams 
François Ozon – Frantz
Céline Sciamma – My Life as a Courgette [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Claude Barras
film profile]
Nicole Garcia, Jacques Fieschi – From the Land of the Moon 
Katell Quillévéré, Gilles Taurand – Heal the Living [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Katell Quillévéré
film profile]

Best Supporting Actress
Nathalie Baye – It’s Only the End of the World
Valeria Bruni Tedeschi – Slack Bay 
Anne Consigny – Elle
Déborah Lukumuena – Divines
Mélanie Thierry – The Dancer

Best Supporting Actor 
Vincent Lacoste –In Bed with Victoria
Melvil Poupaud –In Bed with Victoria
Laurent Lafitte –Elle
James Thierrée – Chocolat
Gabriel Arcand – A Kid 
Vincent Cassel –It’s Only the End of the World

Most Promising Actress 
Oulaya Amamra – Divines
Paula Beer – Frantz
Lily-Rose Depp – The Dancer 
Noémie Merlant – Heaven Will Wait [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile]
Raph – Slack Bay

Most Promising Actor 
Damien Bonnard – Staying Vertical [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Alain Guiraudie
film profile]
Niels Schneider – Dark Inclusion [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Arthur Harari
film profile]
Corentin Fila –Being 17 [+see also:
film review
trailer
Q&A: André Téchiné
interview: Kacey Mottet Klein
film profile]
Kacey Mottet-Klein –Being 17
Jonas Bloquet –Elle

Best Debut Film 
The Fabulous Patars [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] - Sophie Reine
The Dancer - Stéphanie Di Giusto
Dark Inclusion - Arthur Harari
Divines - Houda Benyamina
Rosalie Blum [+see also:
trailer
film profile] - Julien Rappeneau

Best Documentary Film 
Latest News from the Cosmos [+see also:
trailer
film profile] - Julie Bertuccelli
Fire at Sea [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Gianfranco Rosi
film profile] - Gianfranco Rosi
Merci Patron ! [+see also:
trailer
film profile] - François Ruffin
Swagger [+see also:
trailer
film profile] - Olivier Babinet
Journey Through French Cinema [+see also:
trailer
film profile] - Bertrand Tavernier

Best Animated Feature 
The Girl Without Hands [+see also:
trailer
film profile] - Sébastien Laudenbach
My Life as a Courgette - Claude Barras
The Red Turtle [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] - Michael Dudok de Wit

Best Cinematography 
Stéphane Fontaine – Elle
Pascal Marti – Frantz
Caroline Champetier – Agnus Dei 
Guillaume Deffontaines – Slack Bay 
Christophe Beaucarne – From the Land of the Moon

Best Editing 
Loic Lallemand, Vincent Trincon – Divines
Job Ter Burg – Elle
Laure Gardette – Frantz
Xavier Dolan – It’s Only the End of the World 
Simon Jacquet – From the Land of the Moon

Best Original Score 
Gabriel Yared – Chocolat
Ibrahim Maalouf – In the Forests of Siberia [+see also:
trailer
film profile]
Anne Dudley – Elle
Philippe Rombi – Frantz
Sophie Hunger – My Life as a Courgette

Best Sound 
Brigitte Taillandier, Vincent Guillon, Stéphane Thiébaut – Chocolat
Jean-Paul Mugel, Alexis Place, Cyril Holtz, Damien Lazzerini – Elle
Martin Boissau, Benoît Gargonne, Jean-Paul Hurier – Frantz
Jean-Pierre Duret, Sylvain Malbrant, Jean-Pierre Laforce – From the Land of the Moon 
Marc Engels, Fred Demolder, Sylvain Réty, Jean-Paul Hurier – The Odyssey [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile]

Best Costumes
Anaïs Romand – The Dancer 
Pascaline Chavanne – Frantz
Catherine Leterrier – From the Land of the Moon 
Alexandra Charles – Slack Bay 
Madeline Fontaine – A Woman’s Life

Best Production Design 
Jérémie D Lignol – Chocolat
Carlos Conti – The Dancer 
Michel Barthélémy – Frantz
Riton Dupire-Clément – Slack Bay 
Katia Wyszkop - Planetarium [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Rebecca Zlotowski
film profile]

Best Short Film 
Après Suzanne - Félix Moati
Au bruit des clochettes - Chabname Zariab
Chasse royale - Lisa Akoka and Romane Gueret
Maman(s) - Maïmouna Doucouré
Vers la tendresse - Alice Diop

Best Animated Short 
Café froid - François Leroy, Stéphanie Lansaque
Ce qui a deux âmes - Fabrice Luang-Vija
Journal animé - Donato Sansone
Peripheria - David Coquart-Dassault

Best Foreign Film 
Aquarius [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] - Kleber Mendonça Filho (Brazil/France)
I, Daniel Blake [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] - Ken Loach (UK/France/Belgium)
Toni Erdmann [+see also:
film review
trailer
Q&A: Maren Ade
film profile] - Maren Ade (Germany/Austria)
Graduation [+see also:
film review
trailer
Q&A: Cristian Mungiu
interview: Cristian Mungiu
film profile] - Cristian Mungiu (Romania/France/Belgium)
The Unknown Girl [+see also:
film review
trailer
Q&A: Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne
film profile] - Luc and Jean-Pierre Dardenne (Belgium/France)
It’s Only the End of the World - Xavier Dolan (Canada/France)
Manchester by the Sea - Kenneth Lonergan (USA)

(Translated from French)