The 46th César Awards, France’s top film honors, have been handed out in Paris, with Dominik Moll’s crime thriller The Night of the 12th winning the best picture trophy.
Moll’s The Night of the 12th, which premiered in Cannes last year, scored 10 César noms coming into the awards show, just behind Louis Garrel’s The Innocent, which picked up 11 nominations. Moll also won for best director, and Bouli Lanners earned the best supporting actor trophy for his performance in The Night of the 12th.
Cédric Klapisch’s Rise, about a ballet dancer (Marion Barbeau) who, after an injury, seeks a new future in contemporary dance, was up for 9 Césars, as was Albert Serra’s Pacifiction, a thriller featuring Benoît Magimel as a morally-challenged Haut-Commissaire on an island in French Polynesia.
Valeria Bruni Tedeschi’s dramedy Forever Young, Cedric Jimenez’s terrorism drama November, Eric Gravel’s family drama Full Time and Alice Diop’s legal thriller Saint Omer are also major contenders, with multiple nominations.
Garrel was a favorite in the race for this year’s César for best actor, for his performance in The Innocent, alongside Jean Dujardin for November, Magimel for Pacification, Vincent Macaigne for Emmanuel Mouret’s Diary of a Fleeting Affair, and Denis Ménochet for his Rainer Werner Fassbinder-inspired performance in François Ozon’s Peter von Kant.
Best actress nominees included Laure Calamy for Full Time, Juliette Binoche for her starring turn in Emmanuel Carrère’s Between Two Worlds, Virginie Efira for Alice Winocour’s Paris Memories, and Adèle Exarchopoulos for Zero Fucks Given from directors Julie Lecoustre and Emmanuel Marre.
In the running for the best foreign film are Ruben Östlund’s Triangle of Sadness, Jerzy Skolimowski’s EO, Tarik Saleh’s Cairo Conspiracy, Rodrigo Sorogoyen’s Spanish thriller The Beasts, and Lukas Dhont’s Close.
The Social Network director David Fincher received a lifetime achievement honor at this year’s ceremony, and in a surprise appearance Brad Pitt came on stage to present the honorary award alongside the evening’s best actress winner, Virginie Efira.
The French César Academy recently voted to not allow anyone who has been indicted or sentenced for acts of sexual or sexist violence to attend this year’s event, though they can still be nominated and win a César. The move came after Forever Young actor Sofiane Bennacer made the initial César shortlist in the best newcomer category. He was later dropped after it emerged he had been indicted on multiple charges of rape and violence.
The complete list of César Award nominees and winners follows.
Best Film
Forever Young, dir. Valeria Bruni Tedeschi producers: Alexandra Henochsberg, Patrick Sobelman
Rise, dir. Cédric Klapisch producer: Bruno Levy
The Innocent, dir. Louis Garrel producer: Anne-Dominique Toussaint
The Night of the 12th, dir. Dominik Moll producers: Caroline Benjo, Barbara Letellier, Carole Scotta, Simon Arnal (WINNER)
Pacification, dir Albert Serra, producer: Pierre Olivier Bardet
Best Director
Cédric Klapisch for Rise
Louis Garrel for The Innocent
Cédric Jimenz for November
Dominik Moll for The Night of the 12th (WINNER)
Albert Serra for Pacification
Best Actress
Fanny Ardant for The Young Lovers
Juliette Binoche for Between Two Worlds
Laure Calamy for Full Time
Virginie Efira for Paris Memories (WINNER)
Adèle Exarchopoulos for Zero Fucks Given
Best Actor
Jean Dujardin for November
Louis Garrel for The Innocent
Vincent Macaigne for Diary of a Fleeting Affair
Benoît Magimel for Pacification (WINNER)
Denis Ménochet for Peter von Kant
Best Supporting Actress
Judith Chemla for The Sixth Child
Anaïs Demoustier for November
Anouk Grinberg for The Innocent
Lyna Khoudri for November
Noémie Merland for The Innocent (WINNER)
Best Supporting Actor
François Civil for Rise
Bouli Lanners for The Night of the 12th (WINNER)
Micha Lescot for Forever Young
Pio Marmaï for Rise
Roschdy Zem for The Innocent
Best Female Newcomer
Marion Barbeau for Rise
Guslagie Malanda for Saint Omer
Rebecca Marder for A Radiant Girl
Nadia Tereszkiewicz for Forever Young (WINNER)
Mallory Wanecque for The Worst Ones
Best Male Newcomer
Bastien Bouillon for The Night of the 12th (WINNER)
Stefan Crepon for Peter von Kant
Dimitri Doré for Bruno Reidal, Confessions of a Murderer
Paul Kircher for Winter Boy
Aliocha Reinert for Softie
Best Original Screenplay
Éric Grave for Full Time
Valeria Bruni Tedeschi, Noémie Lvovsky, Agnès de Sacy for Forever Young
Cédric Klapisch, Santiago Amigorena for Rise
Louis Garrel, Tanguy Viel, Naïla Guiguet for The Innocent (WINNER)
Alice Diop, Amrita David, Marie Ndiaye for Saint Omer
Best Adapted Screenplay
Michel Hazanavicius for Final Cut
Thierry de Perett, Jeanne Aptekman for Undercover
Gilles Marchand, Dominik Moll for The Night of the 12th (WINNER)
Best Foreign Film
The Beasts, dir. Rodrigo Sorogoyen (WINNER)
Close, dir. Lukas Dhont
The Cairo Conspiracy, dir. Tarik Saleh
EO, dir. Jerzy Skolimowski
Triangle of Sadness, dir. Ruben Östlund
Best Animated Film
Ernest and Celestine: A Trip to Gibberitia, dirs. Jean-Christophe Roger, Julien Chheng producers: Damien Brunner, Didier Brunner
My Sunny Maad, dir. Michaela Pavlatova (WINNER)
Little Nicolas — Happy As Can Be, dir. Amandine Fredon, Benjamin Massoubre producer: Aton Soumache
Best Documentary
Rookies, dirs. Thierry Demaizière, Alban Teurlai
producers: Stéphanie Schorter, Thierry Demaizière, Alban Teurlai, Romain Icard
The Super 8 Years, dirs. Annie Ernaux, David Ernaux-Briot producers: David Thion, Philippe Martin
Heart of Oak, dirs. Laurent Charbonnier, Michel Seydoux producers: Barthélémy Fougea, Michel Seydoux
Jane by Charlotte, dir. Charlotte Gainsbourg producers: Mathieu Ageron, Maxime Delauney, Athieu Ageron, Maxime Delauney, Romain Rousseau, Charlotte Gainsbourg
Returning to Reims [Fragments], dir. Jean-Gabriel Périot producer: Marie-Ange Luciani (WINNER)
Best First Film
Bruno Reidal, Confessions of a Murderer, dir. Vincent Le Port, producers: Thierry Lounas, Roy Arida, Pierre-Emmanuel Urcun
Falcon Lake, dir. Charlotte le Bon producers: David Gauquié, Julien Deris, Jean-Luc Ormieres, Jalil Lespert
The Worst Ones, dir. Lise Akoka, Romane Gueret producers: Marine Alaric, Frédéric Jouve
Saint Omer, dir. Alice Diop, producers: Toufik Ayadi, Christophe Barral (WINNER)
The Sixth Child, dir. Léopold Legrand producers: Frédéic Brillion, Gilles Legrand
Best Score
Irène Drésel for Full Time (WINNER)
Alexandre Desplat for Final Cut
Grégoire Hetzel for The Innocent
Olivier Marguerit for The Night of the 12th
Marc Verdaguer, Joe Robinson for Pacification
Anton Sanko for The Passengers of the Night
Best Sound
Cyril Moisson, Nicolas Moreau, Cyril Holtz for Rise
Laurent Benaïm, Alexis Meynet, Olivier Guillaume for The Innocent
Cédric Delouche, Alexis Place, Gwennolé Le Borgne, Marc Doisne for November
François Maurel, Olivier Mortier, Luc Thomas for The Night of the 12th (WINNER)
Jordi Ribas, Benjamin Laurent, Brunno Tarrière for Pacification
Best Cinematography
Julien Poupard for Forever Young
Alexis Kavyrchine for Rise
Patrick Ghiringhelli for The Night of the 12th
Artur Tort for Pacification (WINNER)
Claire Mathon for Saint Omer
Best Editing
Mathilde van de Moortel for Full Time (WINNER)
Anne-Sophie Bion for Rise
Pierre Deschamps for The Innocent
Laure Gardette for November
Laurent Rouan for The Night of the 12th
Best Costumes
Caroline de Vivaise for Forever Young
Pierre-Jean Larroque for Couleurs de L’incendie
Emmanuelle Youchnovski for Waiting for Bojangles
Corrine Bruand for The Innocent
Praxedes de Vilallonga for Pacification
Gigi Lepage for Simone: Woman of the Century (WINNER)
Best Set Design
Emmanuelle Duplay for Forever Young
Sebastian Birchler for Couleurs de L’incendie
Michel Barthélémy for The Night of the 12th
Sebastian Vogler for Pacification
Christian Marti for Simone: Woman of the Century (WINNER)
Best Visual Effects
Guillaume Marien for The Five Devils
Sébastien Rame for Smoking Causes Coughing
Tousser Laurens Ehrmann for Notre-Dame on Fire (WINNER)
Mikaël Tanguy for November
Marco Del Bianco for Pacification
