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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

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)

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

Celine Sciamma for Girlhood
Thomas Cailley for Love At First Fight
Robin Campillo for Eastern Boys
Thomas Lilti for Hippocrates
Bertrand Bonello for Saint Laurent
Olivier Assays for Sils Maria
Abderrahmane Sissako for Timbuktu

Best Actress

Juliette Binoche for Sils Maria
Marion Cotillard for Two Days, One Night
Catherine Deneuve for In the Courtyard
Emilie Dequenne for Not My Type
Adele Haenel for Love At First Fight
Sandrine Kiberlain for Elle l’Adore
Karin Viard for The Belier Family

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

Niels Arestrup for Diplomatie
Guillaume Canet for Next Time I’ll Aim For The Heart
Francois Damiens for The Belier Family
Romain Duris for The New Girlfriend
Vincent Lacoste for Hippocrates
Pierre Niney for Yves Saint Laurent
Gaspard Ulliel for Saint Laurent

Best Supporting Actor

Eric Elmosnino for The Belier Family
Guillaume Gallienne for Yves Saint Laurent
Louis Garrel for Saint Laurent
Reda Kateb for Hippocrates
Jeremie Renier for Saint Laurent

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