Stars and stripes flutters over the Césars

Emotional moment as director Carine Tardieu receives the César for best film at last night’s ceremony in Paris Photo: L’Academie des Césars

France’s answer to the Oscars and the Baftas – the Césars – had a distinctly Stateside flavour with indy icon Richard Linklater last night winning best director for Nouvelle Vague and Canadian-born Jim Carrey – who has had dual citizenship of the US since 2004 – being awarded an honorary gong while best international feature was bestowed on Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another.

Linklater’s homage to the New Wave and Jean-Luc Godard’s first film Breathless was always going to be one of the hot contenders of the evening with ten nominations and, in the final countdown, scooped not only Best Director but also Cinematography for David Chambille, Costume for Pascaline Chavanne and Editing for Catherine Schwartz.

Jim Carrey delighted to be recognised with an Honorary César Photo: L’Academie des Césars

The surprise recipient of Best Film went to an intimate family drama The Ties That Bind Us (L’Attachement) directed by Carine Tardieu who had explained her attraction to the project: “I liked the idea of portraying a modern woman who is not subject to the dictates of patriarchy, who asserts her independence, assumes a celibacy that she never seeks to justify - a relatively free woman, in short - but who, suddenly shaken by the affection of a little boy and his bereaved father-in-law, sees her foundations shattered... I liked the idea of a woman with no prior attraction to children becoming attached, despite herself, not only to a man, but also, and above all, to his offspring.”

The film which had received its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival and stars Valeria Bruni Tedeschi and Pio Marmai, also was rewared with Césars for Best Adapted Screenplay and Supporting Actress for Vimala Pons.

This 51st edition of the Césars was presided over Camille Cottin and actor Benjamin Lavernhe who strutted his stuff in a yellow suit as he paid tribute to The Mask and introduced Carrey.

In the acting stakes Léa Drucker’s was named Best Actress for her much admired performance in Dominik Moll’s Case137 was named while Laurent Lafitte scooped Best Actor for The Richest Woman in the World.

The family drama featuring Valeria Bruni-Tedeschi, The Ties That Bind Us took top honour Photo: Media

Newcomer Nadia Meilliti continued on her awards trajectory after being named best actress at Cannes with Best Female Newcomer for Hafsia Herzi’s The Little Sister, a queer coming of age drama, while Théodore Pellerin was Best Male Newcomer for Nino which won debut director Pauline Loquès a Best First Film nod.

The ceremony unfurled with a few interruptions, notably some whistling when a tribute reel was played to mark the passing of Brigitte Bardot who died on 28 December.

The winners at the 51st César ceremony:

Best Film

• The Ties That Binds Us (L’Attachement) directed by Carine Tardieu

Best Director

• Richard Linklater for Nouvelle Vague

Best Actress

• Léa Drucker in Case 137 (Dossier 137)

Best Actor

• Laurent Lafitte in The Richest Woman in the World (La Femme la plus riche du monde)

Best Supporting Actress

• Vimala Pons in The Ties That Binds Us

Best Supporting Actor

• Pierre Lottin in The Stranger (L’Étranger)

Best First Feature Film

• Nino

Best Male Newcomer

• Théodore Pellerinin, Nino

Best Female Newcomer

• Nadia Melliti in The Little Sister

Best Original Screenplay

• Franck Dubosc and Sarah Kaminsky for How To Make A Killing (Un Ours dans le Jura)

Best Adaptation

• Carine Tardieu, Raphaële Moussafir and Agnès Feuvre for The Ties That Binds Us

Best Cinematography

• David Chambille for Nouvelle Vague

Best Animated Feature

• Arco

Best Sound

• Whispers In The Woods (Le Chant des Forêts)

Best Editing

• Catherine Schwartz for Nouvelle Vague

Best Production Design

• Catherine Cosme for The Great Arch (L’Inconnu de la Grande Arch)

Best Visual Effects

• Lise Fischer, The Great Arch

Best Original Music

• Arnaud Toulon for Arco

Best Costume Design

• Pascaline Chavanne for Nouvelle Vague

Best Visual Effects

• Lise Fischer for The Great Arch

Best Documentary

• Whispers In The Woods

Best Foreign Film

• One Battle After Another by Paul Thomas Anderson

Best Animated Short Film

• Fille de l’eau

Best Fiction Short Film

• Mort d’un Acteur

Best Short Documentary

• Au bain des dames

Honorary César

• Jim Carrey