Sadly “Mustang” didn’t come out victorious at the Oscars, but Deniz Gamze Ergüven’s powerful coming-of-age story did pick up an impressive four statuettes at France’s Cesar Awards in Paris on Friday.
Ergüven was honored for Best First Film and shared the award for Original Screenplay with co-writer Alice Winocour (“Disorder”). “Mustang” also scored wins for Best Editing and Best Original Music.
The drama follows five sisters in Turkey who cause a stir in their ultra-conservative village when they’re spotted playfighting with local boys at the beach. After being accused of “rubbing” themselves on the boys’ necks (they are innocently sitting on their shoulders), the girls are put under house arrest, and their home transforms into “wife factory” where their freedoms are taken away. The girls are being married off in quick succession in an attempt to break their spirits and fit them into more conventional feminine roles. We hailed “Mustang” as one of the best films of 2015.
Ergüven wasn’t the only female filmmaker to accept an award at the ceremony. The Cesars also recognized Melanie Laurent for co-directing “Demain” (Best Documentary), Cecile Ducrocq for “La Contre Allee” (Best Short Film) and Celine Devaux for “Le Repas Dominical” (Best Animated Short).
Catherine Frot was named Best Actress for “Marguerite,” based loosely on Florence Foster Jenkins. Best Supporting Actress went to Sidse Babett Knudsen for “Courted,” and Zita Hanrot won the Breakout Actress award for “Fatima” which won the big prize of best film. The film focuses on a single mother immigrant to France from Morocco raising her two daughters, working as a maid and dealing with trying to assimilate in a new country.
[via The Hollywood Reporter]
