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| Yet more glory for Oppenheimer director Christopher Nolan with the announcement of an honorary César award from the French Academy of Cinema Arts and Techniques. Photo: Wallpaper Cave |
An honorary César (France’s equivalent of an Oscar) will be bestowed on Oppenheimer director Christopher Nolan during the awards ceremony at the Olympia Music Hall on 23 February, it was revealed in Paris.
The Academy of the Césars notes that the release of every Nolan film has been “a major event” since his first innovative foray in 1998 with the cult Following. The citation continues that Nolan “has an unwavering passion for and commitment to the theatrical filmgoing experience, continually shattering the limits of cinematic storytelling.”
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| Agnès Jaoui - career tribute César Photo: French Film Festival UK |
Such films as Tenet, Dunkirk, Interstellar, Inception and the Dark Knight trilogy have won multiple universal awards, including 11 Oscars, during his 25-year career.
With his latest, Oppenheimer, already receiving awards nominations ahead of the Oscars and the BAFTAs and a myriad of gongs at the recent Golden Globes, the César denizens, ahead of this 49th, edition hail Nolan (53) as “a master of film-making.”
Earlier this week Robert Downey Jr. presented the retiring Nolan with the inaugural Sundance Institute Trailblazer Award at the Sundance Film Festival, during the event's Opening Night Gala in Park City, Utah.
While presenting Nolan with his award, Downey Jr., 58, joked that Oppenheimer's huge success had an unwelcome impact on the "enigmatic auteur," in that it made him more recognisable to the general public.
The Academy has also announced that, during the same ceremony, French actress Agnès Jaoui will be honoured with a career tribute César alongside awards for the crême de la crême of le cinéma français.
