While the big winner at the Oscars on Sunday was the independent film "Anora", directed by Sean Baker, French filmmakers – on and offstage – were honoured during the ceremony.
"Anora", about a sex worker's tumultuous marriage to a Russian oligarch's son, dominated the Oscars, winning five awards including best picture, best director, best editing, best original screenplay, and best actress for the 25-year-old Mikey Madison.
The ceremony also highlighted that 2024 was another exceptional year for French cinema.
Emilia Pérez
Jacques Audiard's "Emilia Pérez" was the most nominated non-English film in the history of the awards, and Zoe Saldana, who played a lawyer in the film, won best actress in a supporting role.
The film’s show-stopping song “El Mal” – co-written by French songwriters Camille and Clément Ducol, along with Audiard, and performed by Saldana – won best original song.
Behind the scenes
French artists behind the scenes were also recognised, with Pierre-Olivier Persin, Stéphanie Guillon and Marilyne Scarselli winning best make-up and hairstyling for “The Substance”, a feminist thriller by Coralie Fargeat.
In the film, Demi Moore is transformed physically after she injects a mysterious substance that promises to make a younger, "better" version of herself, but turns into horror.
At the Cesar ceremony last week, Persin called for a category to honour make-up artists and hairdressers – professions that are not sufficiently respected in French cinema.
Animation
Finally, the independent animated film “Flow”, directed by Latvian Gints Zilbalodis, and co-produced and partly made in France, won best animated feature.
The film, which follows a cat that finds refuge on a boat with other animals after a flood, stood out for having no dialogue, and having been made on the free and open-source software Blender.
(with newswires)
