LOST ILLUSION, ANNETTE LEAD WINNERS AT 47TH CESAR AWARDS

The 47th Cesar Awards have favoured the handsomely-mounted period drama Lost Illusions in its annual award ceremony at the Olympia Theatre in Paris on Friday night, in an event that respected global tensions and tempered the usual boisterous outpourings.

Xavier Giannoli’s adaptation of the classic Honoré de Balzac novel led the nomination pack with an impressive 15 nods, ultimately scoring trophies in seven categories, including Film, Cinematography, Supporting Actor (for Vincent Lacoste) and Male Newcomer (Benjamin Voisin; pictured, above). Giannoli was pipped in the Best Director category by Leos Carax for his Cannes Film Festival opener, Annette, a divisive artistic work that nevertheless won five Cesars, including visual effects and score.

Key categories were divided between a cluster of titles, including Aline (Best Actress for Valerie Lemercier; pictured, right); Living (Best Actor for Benoit Magimel); La fracture (Supporting Actress for Aissatou Diallo Sagna); and, Happening (Best Female Newcomer, Anamaria Vartolomei). Shut out of the awards roster were such high profile titles as Julia Ducornau’s Palme d’Or winner Titane; Paul Verhoeven’s incendiary satire Benedetta; and Bruno Dumont's journalist drama, France.

Australian actress Cate Blanchett was honoured with a special Cesar Award, presented to her by France’s own acting great, Isabelle Huppert. Blanchett spoke briefly in French, then English, acknowledging the prestigious award before putting the evening into perspective, saying, it was “difficult to think or speak about anything other than what's happening in Ukraine.” 

The night was also one of sombre reflection for the French industry. Xavier Dolan read a letter he had written about his close friend, the late actor Gaspard Ulliel, co-star of his 2016 movie, It’s Only the End of the World. Dolan addressed it to his grieving family, saying that “a mother’s love is more powerful than anything, stronger than life, than art even, and surely stronger than death.” Also honoured was iconic actor Jean-Paul Belmondo (pictured, left), the star of New wave classics Breathless and Pierrot le fou, who died in September at the age of 88.

The full list of the 47th Cesar Award winners:

Best Film: LOST ILLUSIONS, Xavier Giannoli, produced by Olivier Delbosc, Sidonie Dumas
ALINE Valerie Lemercier, produced by Edouard Weil, Alice Girard, Sidonie Dumas
ANNETTE Leos Carax, produced by Charles Gillibert
BAC NORD, Cedric Jimenez, produced by Hugo Selignac
HAPPENING, Audrey Diwan, produced by Edouard Weil, Alice Girard
LA FRACTURE, Catherine Corsini, produced by Elisabeth Perez
ONODA, 10,000 NIGHTS IN THE JUNGLE, Arthur Harari, produced by Nicolas Anthome, Lionel Guedj

Best Director: Leos Carax, ANNETTE
Valerie Lemercier, ALINE; Audrey Diwan, HAPPENING; Xavier Giannoli, LOST ILLUSIONS; Arthur Harari, ONODA, 10,000 NIGHTS IN THE JUNGLE; Julia Ducournau, TITANE

Best Actress: Valerie Lemercier, ALINE
Leila Bekhti, THE RESTLESS; Valeria Bruni Tedeschi, LA FRACTURE; Laure Calamy, UNE FEMME DU MONDE; Virginie Efira, BENEDETA; Vicky Krieps, SERRE MOI FORT; Lea Seydoux, FRANCE

Best Actor: Benoit Magimel, LIVING
Damien Bonnard, THE RESTLESS; Adam Driver, ANNETTE; Gilles Lellouche, BAC NORD; Vincent Macaigne, MEDECIN DE NUIT; Pio Marmai, LA FRACTURE; Pierre Niney, BOITE NOIRE

Best Cinematography: Christophe Beaucarne, LOST ILLUSIONS
Caroline Champetier, ANNETTE; Paul Guilhaume, PARIS 13TH DISTRICT; Tom Harari, ONODA, 10,000 NIGHTS IN THE JUNGLE; Ruben Impens, TITANE

Best Supporting Actress: Aissatou Diallo Sagna, LA FRACTURE
Jeanne Balibar, LOST ILLUSIONS; Celine de France, LOST ILLUSIONS; Adele Exarchopoulos, MANDIBULES; Danielle Fichaud, ALINE

Best Supporting Actor: Vincent Lacoste, LOST ILLUSIONS
Francois Civil, BAC NORD; Xavier Dolan, LOST ILLUSIONS; Karin Leklou, BAC NORD; Sylvain Marcel, ALINE

Best Female Newcomer: Anamaria Vartolomei, HAPPENING
Noee Abita, SLALOM; Salome Dewaels, LOST ILLUSIONS; Agathe Rousselle, TITANE; Lucie Zhang, PARIS 13TH DISTRICT

Best Male Newcomer: Benjamin Voisin, LOST ILLUSIONS
Sandor Funtek, SUPREMES; Sami Outalbadi, “UNE HISTOIRE D'AMOUR ET DE DESIR; Thimothee Robart, MAGNETIC BEATS; Matika Samba, PARIS 13TH DISTRICT

Best First Film: MAGNETIC BEATS, Vincent Mael Cardona
GAGARINE, Fanny Liatard, Jeremy Trouilh; LA NUEE, Just Philippot; LA PANTHEREE DES NEIGES, Marie Amiguet, Vincent Munier; SLALOM, Charlene Favier

Best Foreign Film: THE FATHER, Florian Zeller
COMPARTMENT NO. 6, Juho Kuho Kuosmanen; DRIVE MY CAR, Ryusuke Hamaguchi; FIRST COW, Kelly Reichardt;THE WORST PERSON IN THE WORLD, Joachim Trier; PARALLEL MOTHERS, Pedro Almodovar

Best Original Screenplay: Arthur Harari, Vincent Poymiro, ONODA, 10,000 NIGHTS IN THE JUNGLE
Valerie Lemercier, Brigitte Buc, ALINE; Leos Carax, Ron Mael, Russel Mael, ANNETTE; Yann Gozlan, Simon Moutaïrou, Nicolas Bouvet-Levrard, BOITE NOIRE; Catherine Corsini, Laurette Polmanss, Agnes Feuvre, LA FRACTURE

Best Adapted Screenplay: Xavier Giannoli, Jacques Fieschi, LOST ILLUSIONS
Yael Langmann, Yvan Attal, “LES CHOSES HUMAINES; Audrey Diwan, Marcia Romano, HAPPENING; Celine Sciamma, Lea Mysius, Jacques Audiard, PARIS 13TH DISTRICT; Mathieu Amalric, SERRE MOI FORT

Best Animated Film: THE SUMMIT OF GODS, Patrick Imbert
EVEN MICE BELONG IN HEAVEN, Denisa Grimmova, Jan Bubenicek; LA TRAVERSEE, Florence Miailhe

Best Documentary: LA PANTHEREE DES NEIGES Marie Amiguet
ANIMAL, Cyril Dion; BIGGER THAN US, Flore Vasseur; DEBOUT LLES FEMMES! Gilles Perret, Francois Ruffin; INDES GALANTES!, Philippe Beziat

Best Original Score: Ron Mael, Russell Mael, ANNETTE
Guillaume Roussel, BAC NORD; Philippe Rombi, BOITE NOIRE; Rone, PARIS 13TH DISTRICT; Warren Ellis, Nick Cave, LA PANTHEREE DES NEIGES

Best Sound Editing: Erwan Kerzanet, Kaita Boutin, Mawence Dussere, Paul Haymans, Thomas Gauder, ANNETTE
Olivier Mauvezin, Arnaud Rolland, Edouard Morin, Daniel Sobrino, ALINE; Nicolas Provost, Nicolas Bouvet-Levrard, Marc Doisne, BOITE NOIRE; Francois Musy, Renaud Musy, Didier Lozahic, LOST ILLUSIONS; Mathieu Descamps, Pierre Bariaud, Samuel Aïchoun, MAGNETIC BEASTS

Best Editing: Nelly Quettier, ANNETTE
Simon Jacquet, BAC NORD; Fredric Baillehaiche, LA FRACTURE; Cyril Nakache, LOST ILLUSIONS

Best Costumes: Pierre-Jean Laroque, LOST ILLUSIONS
Catherine Leterrier, ALINE; Pascaline Chavanne, ANNETTE; Madeline Fontaine, DELICIEUX; Thierry Deletre, EIFFEL

Best Set Design: Riton Dupire-Clement, LOST ILLUSIONS
Emmanuelle Duplay, ALINE; Florian Sanson, ANNETTE; Bertrand Seitz, DELICIEUX; Stephane Taillasson, EIFFEL

Best Visual Effects: Guillaume Pondard, ANNETTE
Sebastien Rame, ALINE; Olivier Cauwet, EIFFEL; Arnaud Fouquet, Julien Meesters, LOST ILLUSIONS; Martial Vallanchon, TITANE

PREVIEW: 2021 ALLIANCE FRANCAIS FRENCH FILM FESTIVAL

A 4K restoration of director Jean-Luc Godard’s masterpiece, Breathless (À bout de souffle; 1960) is just one of the many cinematic gems to shine as part of the 32nd Alliance Française French Film Festival, one of the largest celebrations of French cinema in the world. The 2021 edition of the festival will beguile and engage theatrical audiences nationally from March 2 until mid-April at 25 locations, all of which will be adhering to stringent Covid protocols to guarantee Festival patrons a safe cinema experience. 

Godard’s iconic film, acknowledged as one of the earliest and most potent examples of French New Wave cinema, emerged as the epitome of 60s cinematic cool, inspiring a generation of moviemakers. Based on a story by Francois Truffaut and photographed by New Wave legend Raoul Coutard, the film stars Jean-Paul Belmondo and Jean Seberg (pictured, above) as narcissistic young lovers on the run from authorities following a violent and impulsive crime.

Courtesy of StudioCanal Australia, the Festival will launch with the World Premiere of Eiffel, a sumptuous, romantic, costume drama which explores the passionate love affair between celebrated engineer Gustave Eiffel, whose company designed and built France’s iconic Eiffel Tower, and Adrienne, a mysterious woman from his past.  Portraying these ardent lovers will be French superstar Romain Duris (pictured, right), and the magnetic Emma Mackey.

Presented by the Alliance Française in association with the Embassy of France in Australia and key sponsor Peugeot Australia, this year’s line-up of 37 features has something to delight the most discerning French cinephile. The star-laden program brings Australian audiences the latest works from such favourites as Lambert Wilson (in Gabriel Le Bomin’s De Gaulle); Isabelle Huppert (in Jean-Paul Salomé’s The Godmother); Valeria Bruni Tedeschi (in Summer of ‘85, the latest from acclaimed director François Ozon); Omar Sy (in Anne Fontaine’s Night Shift); and, Adèle Exarchopoulos (in Mandibles, from cult filmmaker Quentin Dupieux).

Closing Night honours have gone to #Iamhere (jesuislà) an endearing culture-clash comedy from director Éric Lartigau (The Bélier Family), starring Alain Chabat as an eminent French chef who travels to the other side of the world after he falls in love via Instagram.

Other highlights of this year’s line-up include: 

ALINE (Dir: Valérie Lemercier)                                        
Cast:  Valérie Lemercier, Sylvain Marcel & Martine Fontaine. Inspired by singing sensation Céline Dion, Aline is the story of a teenager from Quebec whose powerful voice propels her onto the world stage to become the darling of millions. 

APPEARANCES (Dir: Marc Fitoussi)                                
Cast: Benjamin Biolay, Karin Viard, Lucas Englander & Laetitia Dosch. The new film from writer/director Marc Fitoussi, Appearances is a sexy, Chabrol-esque marital thriller, set against a luxe Vienna backdrop (pictured, right).

BLACK BOX (Dir: Yann Gozlan) 
Cast: Pierre Niney, Lou de Laâge & André Dussollier. Uncovering secrets carries a devastating toll in this thrilling story about one man’s determination to get to the bottom of what caused a horrifying plane crash.

CALAMITY, A CHILDHOOD OF MARTHA JANE CANNARY (Dir: Rémi Chayét)                                  
Voice Cast: Salomé Boulven, Alexandra Lamy & Alexis Tomassian. Before she was frontierswoman ‘Calamity Jane’, she was a high-spirited 12-year-old girl named Martha, fiercely loyal to her family with a defiant streak. Winner of the Feature Film ‘Cristal’ at the 2020 Annecy International Animation Film Festival. 

DELETE HISTORY (Effacer l'historique; Dirs: Gustave Kervern & Benoît Delépine) 
Cast: Blanche Gardin, Corinne Masiero, Denis Podalydès & Vincent Lacoste & Benoît Poelvoorde. If the complexities of the online world leave you feeling lost, confused or furious, then this laugh-out-loud film is for you. Directed by renegade duo Gustave Kervern and Benoît Delépine; won the 70th Silver Bear Berlinale prize at Berlin International Film Festival.  

GAGARINE (Dirs: Fanny Liatard & Jérémy Trouilh)                         
Cast: Lyna Khoudri, Alséni Bathily & Finnegan Oldfield. When the housing project that he calls home is condemned for demolition, 16-year-old aspiring astronaut Youri knows there is no way it can go down without a fight. Premiering at Cannes in 2020, Gagarine is a powerful story of class, race, imagination and wonder.

LOVE AFFAIR(S) (Les choses qu'on dit, les choses qu'on fait; Dir: Emmanuel Mouret)                             Cast: Camélia Jordana, Niels Schneider & Emilie Dequenne. When two strangers are left alone in the French countryside, they fill their time by regaling each other with stories of love gained and lost. Referred to as a “more serious Love Actually”; an entertaining and surprising exploration of the complexities of modern love. 

MISS (Dir: Ruben Alves)                                  
Cast: Alexandre Wetter, Pascale Arbillot & Thibault de Montalembert. Androgynous model Wetter plays a young boy who dreams of conquering the Miss France pageant. Miss is an inspiring, though-provoking film that tears apart our preconceptions of gender. 

POLY (Dir: Nicolas Vanier) 
Cast: François Cluzet, Julie Gayet & Patrick Timsit. Travel back to the breathtaking Cévennes region of the 1960s to meet Poly the Shetland pony, an inspiration for generations of children ever since she jumped from the pages of Cécile Aubry’s much-loved novel (pictured, right). 

SKIES OF LEBANON (Dir: Chloé Mazlo)     
Cast: Alba Rohrwacher, Wajdi Mouawad & Isabelle Zighondi.A poetic blending of the personal and political, this Cannes selection combines live action with animation to create a vivid picture of Lebanon and a heart-breaking story of love during wartime; inspired by the family history of filmmaker Chloé Mazlo.

SMALL COUNTRY: AN AFRICAN CHILDHOOD (Dir: Éric Barbier)                                     
Cast: Jean-Paul Rouve, Isabelle Kabano & Djibril Vancoppenolle. This powerful true story recounts the life of a young boy growing up in Burundi during the 1990s, experiencing the tidal wave of violence and unrest from neighbouring Rwanda. 

Screening at Palace Cinemas nationwide, the 32nd Alliance Française French Film Festival begins in Sydney (March 2-31), before seasons in Melbourne (March 3-31), Canberra (March 4-31), Perth (March 10-April 7), Hobart (March 11-20), Brisbane (March 17-April 13), Adelaide (March 23-April 20), Byron Bay (March 24-April 14) and at the Riverside Theatres in Parramatta (April 8-11).

Full event information can be found at the official website. 

ALLIANCE FRANCAISE CELEBRATES ISABELLE ADJANI WITH CLASSICS RETRO SEASON

The mighty screen presence of iconic French actress Isabelle Adjani will be celebrated at the 2019 Alliance Française Classic Film Festival, with a program of seven masterworks featuring the fierce, luminous talent of arguably France’s greatest screen star. The winner of a record five ‘Best Actress’ César Awards, Adjani has appeared in 30 films since her debut at the age of 14 in Bernard Toublanc-Michel’s Le petit bougnat (1970). Says Philippe Platel, the Alliance Française Classic Film Festival’s Artistic Director, “Throughout her internationally acclaimed career, there have contrasting ‘Adjanian’ heroines, at once rebellious and delicate, bold and shy, fire and ice. Defining Isabelle Adjani as a legend, the quintessence of a star, would not [be] sufficient to give a sense of the complexity that surrounds the ‘Mystère Adjani.’”

The retrospective season, featuring the films below, begins in Sydney on November 3, at the Palace Norton Street and Cremorne Orpheum cinemas; and, in Melbourne from November 10 at The Astor Theatre. Check the Alliance Française Classic Film Festival website for further venue and session details.   

THE STORY OF ADELE H. (L’histoire d’Adèle H.; 1975) Dir: François Truffaut
L’ intrigue: In 1863, Adèle Hugo (daughter of renowned French writer Victor Hugo) is in love with British lieutenant Albert Pinson (Bruce Robinson). Despite the Lieutenant rejecting her affections, Adèle’s obsession grows and she eventually succumbs to her wild delusions.
Histoire: After witnessing Adjani’s superb performance in Claude Pinoteau’s The Slap (1974), François Truffaut (pictured, right; with Adjani on-set) sought her for his next film, a historical drama upon the diary of Adèle Hugo. At only 19 years of age, Adjani earned an Academy Award nomination - the youngest ‘Best Actress’ nominee ever at the time.

POSSESSION (1981) Dir: Andrzej Zulawski
L’ intrigue: Faced with an impending divorce from his wife for no apparent reason, Mark (Sam Neill) sets out to uncover the truth behind his wife Anna’s erratic behaviour. He follows her as she descends into extremes of madness, only to discover his suspicions of infidelity have led to something far more sinister.
Histoire: This psychological horror drama defies easy classification and was delivered by one of the most revolutionary filmmakers to emerge from Poland after World War II, Andrzej Zulawski. Adjani’s performance garnered both César and Cannes Film Festival Awards for ‘Best Actress’.

ALL FIRED UP (Tout feu, tout flame; 1982) Dir: Jeau-Paul Rappeneau
L’ intrigue: Pauline (Adjani) is right to be suspicious when her absentee father reappears suddenly. The charming Victor (Montand) has returned to Paris to scrounge for money. A complex, occasional comical struggle emerges between the two and soon, both father and daughter are fending off mobsters.  
Histoire: Adjani and Yves Montand shine in this entertaining farcical thriller, enhanced by a great cast and an amazing soundtrack, composed by the famous French singer Michel Berger.

ONE DEADLY SUMMER (L’été meurtier; 1983) Dir: Jean Becker                                                    
L’ intrigue: The alluring Eliane Wieck moves to a sun-drenched provincial town in Southern France, where the local mechanic Pin-Pon (Alain Souchon), falls in love with her. They are soon married, yet circumstances around Eliane’s arrival remain mysterious. What prompted the family’s move? Is Eliane really in love?
Histoire: An adaptation of Sébastien Japrisot’s novel, this film garnered four Césars in 1983, including ‘Best Original Screenplay’ and ‘Best Editing’. Adjani delivers a captivating performance as a traumatised woman harbouring a terrible secret, which would earn her a second César.

QUEEN MARGOT (La Reine Margot; 1994; RESTORED VERSION) Dir: Patrice Chéreau
L’ intrigue: In 1572, tensions between Catholics and Protestants are at an all-time high. When Marguerite de Valois (Adjani), a Catholic woman, is forced to wed prominent Protestant Huguenot Henri of Navarre (Daniel Auteuil) a wave of increasingly shocking events unfold, culminating in the notorious St. Bartholomew's Day massacre.
Histoire: Queen Margot was director Patrice Chéreau’s greatest success, winning the Jury Prize at the 1994 Cannes Film Festival and five César Awards, including Adjani’s fourth ‘Best Actress’ Award. Raging with passion, sex and violence, Queen Margot is a powerful and provocative film.

SUBWAY (1985; SYDNEY ONLY) Dir: Luc Besson
L’ intrigue: Having stolen compromising documents from a shady businessman, Fred (Christophe Lambert), takes refuge in the Paris Metro. Here, he encounters a subterranean society of eccentric characters and petty criminals and develops a romance with a gangster's young trophy wife, Héléna (Adjani).
Histoire: An international blockbuster that launched Christophe Lambert, director Luc Besson and Adjani globally, the visually dazzling Subway was praised by The New York Times for its "highly energetic visual style". Lambert won a César for ‘Best Actor’; composer Eric Serra was nominated for ‘Best Sound’ Award. Good humour, superb music, wild 80s fashion and great acting make this unashamedly crowd-pleasing movie a must see.

CAMILLE CLAUDEL (1988; RESTORED VERSION) Dir: Bruno Nuytten      
L’ intrigue: Set at the beginning of the 1880s, this artistic triumph recounts the tumultuous relationship between Claudel and sculptor Auguste Rodin (Gérard Depardieu)., While it captures the mad genius of Rodin, it also profiles an ambitious woman who is driven to insanity and imprisoned by the societal conventions of her time.                                     
Histoire: In her role as co-producer, Adjani hired Bruno Nuytten (with whom she shares a son) as director of this multi-award winning film, a sensual and impassioned biopic now considered a classic. It would earn five Césars and Adjani a second ‘Best Actress’ nomination at the Academy Awards.