The Cesar nominations are in, and contrary to most award shows on most years, women-helmed films are well represented. The Cesars are most often compared to the Oscars, but the list speaks for itself: Female filmmakers fare dramatically better across the pond than here in the U.S.
A refresher: Of the eight films nominated for Best Picture at this year’s Academy Awards, none are directed by women, while all five of the directors competing for the Best Director prize are men. Meanwhile, in France, only two (male-directed) films received more nominations than Deniz Gamze Ergüven’s “Mustang,” the sole female-helmed offering in the Foreign Language Film category at this year’s Oscars. The coming-of-age story about sexually repressed sisters living in Turkey scored a whopping nine nods, including Best Film, Best First Film, Best Director and Best Original Screenplay. In addition to her directing duties, Ergüven wrote the script with Alice Winocour (“Disorder”).
It’s important to emphasize that “Mustang” is not the only female-helmed film to be recognized by the Cesars. “Mon Roi,” directed by Maïwenn, and “Standing Tall,” directed by Emmanuelle Bercot, both received eight nominations apiece. They join Ergüven in the Best Film and Best Director categories.
All three of those films premiered at Cannes 2015, each in different sections of the festival.
It’s also heartening that two female cinematographers, Eponine Momenceau (“Dheepan”) and Irina Lubtchansky (“My Golden Years”), were nominated this year at the Cesars. No woman DP has ever been nominated for a Best Cinematography Oscar.
The 41st Cesar awards will take place on February 26.
See the female nominees below, highlighted in bold. The list is adapted from Variety.
Best Film: 3/8
“Dheepan,” directed by Jacques Audiard
“Fatima,” directed by Philippe Faucon
“The Measure Of A Man,” directed by Stéphane Brizé
“Marguerite,” directed by Xavier Giannoli
“Mon Roi,” directed by Maïwenn
“Mustang,” directed by Deniz Gamze Ergüven
“Standing Tall,” directed by Emmanuelle Bercot
“My Golden Years,” directed by Arnaud Desplechin
Best Director: 3/7
Jacques Audiard, “Dheepan”
Maïwenn, “Mon Roi”
Stéphane Brizé,”The Measure Of A Man”
Xavier Giannoli, “Marguerite”
Deniz Gamze Ergüven, “Mustang”
Emmanuelle Bercot, “Standing Tall”
Arnaud Desplechin, “Golden Years”
Best Actress:
Loubna Abidar, “Much Loved”
Emmanuelle Bercot, “Mon Roi”
Cécile de France, “Summertime”
Catherine Deneuve, “Standing Tall”
Catherine Frot, “Marguerite”
Isabelle Huppert, “Valley of Love”
Soria Zeroua, “Fatima”
Best Actor:
Jean-Pierre Bacri, “The Very Private Life of Mister Sim”
Vincent Cassel, “Mon Roi”
François Damiens, “The Cowboys”
Gérard Depardieu, “Valley Of Love”
Anthonythasan Jesuthasan, “Dheepan”
Vincent Lindon, “The Measure Of A Man”
Fabrice Luchini, “Courted”
Breakout Actress:
Camille Cotin, “Connasse, Princesse des coeurs”
Sara Giraudeau, “Les Bêtises”
Zita Hanrot, “Fatima”
Diane Rouxel, “Standing Tall”
Lou Roy Lecollinet, “My Golden Years”
Breakout Actor:
Swann Arlaud, “The Anarchists”
Quentin Dolmaire, “Golden Years”
Félix Moati, “All About Them”
Finnegan Oldfield, “The Cowboys”
Rod Paradot, “Standing Tall”
Best Supporting Actress:
Sara Forrester, “Standing Tall”
Agnès Jaoui, “The Sweet Escape”
Sidse Babett Knudsen, “Courted”
Noémie Lvovsky, “Summertime”
Karine Viard, “Families”
Best Supporting Actor:
Michel Fau, “Marguerite”
Louis Garrel, “Mon Roi”
Benoît Magimel, “Standing Tall”
André Marcon, “Marguerite”
Vincent Rottiers, “Dheepan”
Best First Film: 1/5
“L’affaire SK1,” Frédéric Tellier
“The Cowboys, ” Thomas Bidegain
“Mustang,” Deniz Gamze Ergüven
“The Wakhan Front,” Clément Cogitore
“All Three of Us,” Kheiron
Best Cinematography: 2/5
Eponine Momenceau, “Dheepan”
Glynn Speeckaert, “Marguerite”
David Chizallet, “Mustang”
Irina Lubtchansky, “My Golden Years”
Christophe Offenstein, “Valley of Love”
Best Adapted Screenplay: 1/5
David Oelhoffen, Frédéric Tellier, “SK1”
Samuel Benchetrit, “Asphalte”
Vincent Garenq, Stéphane Cabrel, “The Clearstream Affair”
Philippe Faucon, “Fatima”
Hélène Zimmer, Benoit Jacquot, “Diary of a chambermaid”
Best Original Screenplay: 3/5
Noé Debré, Thomas Bidegain, Jacques Audiard, “Dheepan”
Xavier Giannoli, “Marguerite”
Deniz Gamze Ergüven, Alice Winocour, “Mustang”
Emmanuelle Bercot, Marcia Romano, “Standing Tall”
Arnaud Desplechin, Julie Peyr, “My Golden Years”
Best Costumes: 4/5
Anaïs Romand, “Diary of a Chambermaid”
Pierre-Jean Larroque, “Marguerite”
Selin Sözen, “Mustang”
Catherine Leterrier, “L’odeur de la Mandarine”
Nathalie Raoul, “My Golden Years”
Best Production Design: 1/5
Michel Barthélémy, “Dheepan”
Katia Wyszkop, “Diary of a Chambermaid”
Martin Kurel, “Marguerite”
Jean Rabasse, “L’Odeur de la Mandarine”
Toma Baqueni, “My Golden Years”
Best Editing: 1/5
Juliette Welfling, “Dheepan”
Cyril Nakache, “Marguerite”
Simon Jacquet, “Mon Roi”
Mathilde Van De Moortel, “Mustang”
Laurence Briaud, “My Golden Years”
Best Sound: 2/5
Daniel Sorbino, Valérie Deloof, Cyril Holtz, “Dheepan”
François Musy, Gabriel Hafner, “Marguerite”
Nicolas Provost, Agnès Ravez, Emmanuel Croset, “Mon Roi”
Ibrahim Gök, Damien Guillaume, Olivier Goinard, “Mustang”
Nicolas Cantin, Sylvain Malbrant, Stéphane Thiébaut, “My Golden Years”
Best Music: 0/5
Raphaël for “The Cowboys”
Ennio Morricone for “Darling Buds of May”
Stephen Warbeck for “Mon Roi”
Warren Ellis for “Mustang”
Grégoire Hetzel for “My Golden Years”
Best Foreign Film: 0/7
“Birdman,” Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu
“Son of Saul,” Laszlo Nemes
“Mia Madre,” Nanni Moretti
“I’m Dead But I Have Friends,” Guillaume Malandrin, Stéphane Malandrin
“Taxi Tehran,” Jafar Panahi
“The Brand New Testament,” Jaco Van Dormael
“Youth,” Paolo Sorrentino
[via Variety]
