Fighting for a César

Binoche, Deneuve and Cottilard in the running.

by Richard Mowe

Catherine Deneuve, best actress nominee for In The Courtyard by Pierre Salvadori
Catherine Deneuve, best actress nominee for In The Courtyard by Pierre Salvadori

One of the soaraway successes of today’s announcement in Paris (28 January) of the César nominations was Thomas Cailley’s Love At First Fight (Les Combattants), which picked up now fewer than nine nominations for the director’s film.

It had already made an auspicious debut at last year’s Cannes Film Festival where it won a crop of prizes due for a UK release through Curzon Artificial Eye later this year, and as with many of the other nominees featured in last year’s French Film Festival UK.

Other prominent contenders in the list revealed by Alain Terzian, the president of the Academy, at Fouquet’s restaurant on the Champs Elysées included Bertrand Bonello’s Saint Laurent with ten nominations including best film,best actor (for Gaspard Ulliel) and best director. The other Yves Saint Laurent film, by Jalil Lespert, received seven nominations, among them a best actor for Pierre Niney in the title role.

Kevin Azais, best newcomer actor nominee for Love At First Fight (with co-star Adele Haene)
Kevin Azais, best newcomer actor nominee for Love At First Fight (with co-star Adele Haene)

Actresses receiving attention include Kristen Stewart in best supporting actress category for Olivier Assayas’ Sils Maria while Marion Cottilard (Two Days, One Night), Catherine Deneuve (In The Courtyard) and Juliette Binoche (Sils Maria) will fight it out for best actress gong.

French comic actor Dany Boon will preside over the 40th editon of the César ceremony at the Chatelet Theatre on 20 February (just two days ahead of the Oscars) with actor Edouard Baer as master of ceremonies.

Among those receiving special tributes are Sean Penn who is to receive an honorary César, and the late Alain Resnais who will be given a special tribute.

The nominees are:

Best Film

Best Director

Best Actress

Best Supporting Actress


  • Marianne Denicourt for Hippocrates
  • Claude Gensac for Lulu In The Nude
  • Izia Higelin for Samba
  • Charlotte Le Bon for Yves Saint Laurent
  • Kristen Stewart for Sils Maria

Best Actor

Best Supporting Actor

Best Original Screenplay

  • Thomas Cailley, Claude le Pape for Love At First Fight
  • Victoria Bedos, Stanislas Carre de Malberg, Eric Lartigau and Thomas Bidegain for The Belier Family
  • Thomas Lilti, Baya Kasmi, Julien Lilti and Pierre Chosson for Hippocrates
  • Oliver Assayas for Sils Maria
  • Abderrahmane Sissako, Kessen Tall for Timbuktu

Best Adapted Screenplay

Best Animation

  • Le Chant De La Mer
  • Jack And The Cuckoo Clock Heart

  • Miniscule

Best First Film

  • Love At First Fight by Thomas Cailley
  • Elle l’Adore by Jeanne Herry
  • Fidelio by Lucie Borleteau
  • Party Girl by Marie Amachoukeli, Claire Burger and Samuel Theis
  • May Allah Bless France by Abd al Malik

Best Newcomer Actress


  • Lou de Laage for Breathe
  • Louane Emera for The Belier Family
  • Josephine Japy for Breathe
  • Ariane Labed for Fidelio
  • Karidja Toure for Girlhood

Best Newcomer Actor


  • Kevin Azais for Love At First Fight
  • Ahmed Drame for Les Heritiers
  • Kirill Emelyanov for Eastern Boys
  • Pierre Rochefort for Going Away
  • Marc Zinga for May Allah Bless France

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