45th César Awards

{{short description|Awards ceremony}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2020}}

{{Infobox film awards

| number = 45

| award = César Awards

| image = Anna Karina 45th César Awards poster.jpg

| caption = Official poster featuring a photo of actress Anna Karina, taken by Georges Dambier in 1959

| date = 28 February 2020

| site = Salle Pleyel, Paris

| host = Florence Foresti

| best_film = Les Misérables

| best_actor = Roschdy Zem

| best_actor_film = Oh Mercy!

| best_actress = Anaïs Demoustier

| best_actress_film = Alice and the Mayor

| most_wins = Les Misérables (4)

| most_nominations = An Officer and a Spy (12)

| network = Canal+

| last = 44th

| next = 46th

}}

The 45th César Awards ceremony, presented by the Académie des Arts et Techniques du Cinéma, took place on 28 February 2020, at the Salle Pleyel in Paris to honour the best French films of 2019. Sandrine Kiberlain presided, and Florence Foresti as the host.

Controversy and protests dogged the Academy in the months running up to the ceremony. The entire board of directors of the César Academy resigned on 13 February 2020,{{cite web |date=14 February 2020 |title=Communiqués de Presse: Renouvellement complet de la direction des César |url=https://www.academie-cinema.org/annonces-type/communiques-de-presse |work=L'Académie des Arts et Techniques du Cinéma |access-date=14 February 2020 |language=fr }} in response to complaints over the opaqueness of the process and the powerlessness of normal Academy members, who do not vote for nor otherwise exercise any control over the leadership of the Academy.{{cite news |last=Dryef |first=Par Zineb |date=14 February 2020 |title=Le monde du cinéma français attaque le fonctionnement des Césars |url=https://www.lemonde.fr/culture/article/2020/02/11/le-monde-du-cinema-attaque-le-fonctionnement-des-cesars_6029171_3246.html |work=Le Monde |access-date=14 February 2020 }} The other issue of protest was the 12 nominations received by Roman Polanski's J'Accuse (An Officer and a Spy in English), the most nominations of any eligible film. French feminists protested heaping honors on Polanski, who was convicted of raping a minor in California in 1978 but never served his sentence, and has additionally been accused of other incidents of rape.{{cite news |last=Marshall |first=Alex |date=14 February 2020 |title=Organizers of France's Oscars Resign, 2 Weeks Before Ceremony |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/14/arts/cesars-resignations-polanski.html |work=The New York Times |access-date=14 February 2020 }}{{cite news |last1=Alderman |first1=Liz | first2=Elian |last2=Peltier |date=9 November 2019 |title=Roman Polanski Accused of 1975 Rape |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/09/world/europe/roman-polanski-rape-france.html |work=The New York Times |access-date=14 February 2020 }}{{cite magazine|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/roman-polanski-will-not-attend-cesar-awards-1281531|title=Roman Polanski Will Not Attend Cesar Awards|magazine=The Hollywood Reporter|last=Roxborough|first=Scott|date=27 February 2020}}{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/28/movies/roman-polanski-cesar-awards-france.html|title=Actors Walk Out After Roman Polanski Wins Best Director at France's Oscars|newspaper=The New York Times|last=Marshall|first=Alex|date=28 February 2020}}

Winners and nominees

The nominees for the 45th César Awards were announced on 29 January 2020.{{cite web|url = https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/lists/cesar-awards-2020-nominations-unveiled-1270200|title = Roman Polanski's 'An Officer and a Spy' Leads France's Cesar Awards Nominations|work=The Hollywood Reporter|date= 29 January 2020|access-date= 29 January 2020}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-51301829|title=Polanski 'French Oscar' nomination sparks outrage|date=29 January 2020|access-date=14 February 2020|via=www.bbc.com}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.indiewire.com/2020/02/french-film-academy-members-overhaul-cesar-awards-1202210702/|title=French Film Academy Members Call for ‘Complete Overhaul’ of César Awards After Weeks of Discord|first1=Kate|last1=Erbland|date=11 February 2020|access-date=14 February 2020}}{{Cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2020/02/french-film-academy-cesar-awards-reforms-parity-boycott-roman-polanski-an-officer-and-a-spy-1202857067/|title=French Film Academy Vows Reforms Amid Membership Backlash & As César Awards Loom Under Threat Of Protest|first1=Nancy|last1=Tartaglione|date=11 February 2020|access-date=14 February 2020}}

class=wikitable style="width=150%"
valign="top" width="50%"|

{{Award category|#eedd82|Best Film
(presented by Sandrine Kiberlain)}}

Les Misérables − Produced by Toufik Ayadi and Christophe Barral; Directed by Ladj Ly

| valign="top" width="50%"|

{{Award category|#eedd82|Best Director
(presented by Emmanuelle Bercot & Claire Denis)}}

Roman PolanskiAn Officer and a Spy

valign="top" width="50%"|

{{Award category|#eedd82| Best Actor
(presented by Marisa Berenson)}}

Roschdy ZemOh Mercy! as Yacoub Daoud

| valign="top" width="50%"|

{{Award category|#eedd82| Best Actress
(presented by Mathieu Kassovitz)}}

Anaïs DemoustierAlice and the Mayor as Alice Heimann

valign="top" width="50%"|

{{Award category|#eedd82| Best Supporting Actor
(presented by Chiara Mastroianni)}}

Swann ArlaudBy the Grace of God as Emmanuel Thomassin

| valign="top" width="50%"|

{{Award category|#eedd82| Best Supporting Actress
(presented by Emmanuelle Devos & Vincent Dedienne)}}

Fanny ArdantLa Belle Époque as Marianne Drumond

valign="top" width="50%"|

{{Award category|#eedd82| Most Promising Actor
(presented by Déborah François & Karidja Touré)}}

Alexis ManentiLes Misérables as Chris

| valign="top" width="50%"|

{{Award category|#eedd82| Most Promising Actress
(presented by Aïssa Maïga)}}

Lyna KhoudriPapicha as Nedjma 'Papicha'

valign="top" width="50%"|

{{Award category|#eedd82| Best Original Screenplay
(presented by Jean-Pierre Darroussin)}}

La Belle ÉpoqueNicolas Bedos

| valign="top" width="50%"|

{{Award category|#eedd82| Best Adaptation
(presented by Jean-Pierre Darroussin)}}

An Officer and a SpyRoman Polanski and Robert Harris based on the novel by Robert Harris

valign="top" width="50%"|

{{Award category|#eedd82| Best First Feature Film
(presented by Florence Foresti)}}

Papicha − Mounia Meddour

| valign="top" width="50%"|

{{Award category|#eedd82| Best Cinematography
(presented by Melha Bedia & Arnaud Valois)}}

Portrait of a Lady on FireClaire Mathon

valign="top" width="50%"|

{{Award category|#eedd82| Best Editing
(presented by Melha Bedia & Arnaud Valois)}}

Les Misérables − Flora Volpelière

| valign="top" width="50%"|

{{Award category|#eedd82| Best Sound}}

The Wolf's Call − Nicolas Cantin, Thomas Desjonquères, Raphaëll Mouterde, Olivier Goinard and Randy Thom

valign="top" width="50%"|

{{Award category|#eedd82| Best Original Music
(presented by Esteban)}}

I Lost My Body − Dan Levy

| valign="top" width="50%"|

{{Award category|#eedd82| Best Costume Design
(presented by Antoine Reinartz)}}

An Officer and a Spy − Pascaline Chavanne

valign="top" width="50%"|

{{Award category|#eedd82| Best Production Design
(presented by Antoine Reinartz)}}

La Belle Époque − Stéphane Rozenbaum

| valign="top" width="50%"|

{{Award category|#eedd82| Best Documentary Film
(presented by Antoine de Caunes)}}

MYolande Zauberman

valign="top" width="50%"|

{{Award category|#eedd82| Best Animated Feature Film
(presented by Benjamin Lavernhe)}}

I Lost My Body − Jérémy Clapin

| valign="top" width="50%"|

{{Award category|#eedd82| Best Animated Short Film
(presented by Benjamin Lavernhe)}}

La nuit des sacs plastiques − Gabriel Harel

  • This Magnificent Cake! (Ce magnifique gâteau !) − Marc James Roels and Emma de Swaef
  • Je sors acheter des cigarettes − Osman Cerfon
  • Make It Soul − Jean-Charles Mbotti Malolo
valign="top" width="50%"|

{{Award category|#eedd82| Best Short Film
(presented by Eye Haïdara & Maurice Barthélemy)}}

Pile Poil − Lauriane Escaffre and Yvonnick Muller

  • Beautiful Loser − Maxime Roy
  • Le Chant d'Ahmed − Foued Mansour
  • Le Chien bleu − Fanny Liatard
  • Nefta Football Club − Yves Piat

| valign="top" width="50%"|

{{Award category|#eedd82| Best Foreign Film
(presented by Alban Ivanov)}}

Parasite (South Korea) – Directed by Bong Joon-ho

valign="top" width="50%"|

{{Award category|#eedd82| Audience Award
(presented by Josiane Balasko)}}

Les MisérablesLadj Ly

| valign="top" width="50%"|

Controversies

Roman Polanski's Best Director win for An Officer and a Spy was poorly received by the audience. Few clapped, and several audience members walked out in disgust, including Best Director nominee Céline Sciamma and Best Actress nominees Adèle Haenel and Noémie Merlant.{{Cite web|url=https://www.lemonde.fr/culture/live/2020/02/28/cesars-2020-suivez-la-ceremonie-en-direct_6031276_3246.html|title=Césars : Roman Polanski désigné meilleur réalisateur, " Les Misérables " meilleur film}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.vulture.com/2020/02/adele-haenel-protests-roman-polanski-cesar-director-award.html|title=Portrait of a Lady on Fire Star Storms Out of Awards After Roman Polanski Wins|first=Jordan|last=Crucchiola|date=28 February 2020|website=Vulture}}

Polanski as well as other crew members of An Officer and a Spy did not attend the ceremony. No one was there to accept the award on Polanski's behalf.{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2020/mar/01/roman-polanski-cesar-award-jaccuse-divides-french-cinema|title=Polanski's 'Oscar' divides elite world of French cinema|newspaper=The Guardian|last=Willsher|first=Kim|date=1 March 2020}}

See also

References

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