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CÉSARS 2014

Straight flush at the Césars for Me Myself and Mum

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- With five awards, including Best Film and Best Actor, Guillaume Gallienne wins the day amidst an anti-Kechiche atmosphere of score-settling

Straight flush at the Césars for Me Myself and Mum
Guillaume Gallienne, at the Césars

Two very clear messages were sent out by the French film industry professionals who voted at the 2014 César Awards, which were given out last night in Paris. The first was a sign of increased open-mindedness towards boldness and offbeat humour, as the only two comedies that were nominated made off with seven trophies, including five for the night’s big winner, Me Myself and Mum [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
 by Guillaume Gallienne. It won Best Film, Best Actor for the director himself, who also won for Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Feature Debut and Best Editing. It is worth noting that this is the first time ever in the history of the Césars that a filmmaker has been awarded the honourable prize of Best Film while at the same time winning an award for being the lead actor. In addition, the double honour of winning both Best Debut Film and Best Film had only been achieved once before – in 1993, by Savage Nights.

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Rounded off by the two Césars that were awarded to 9 Month Stretch [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
 by Albert Dupontel, with Best Actress for Sandrine Kiberlain and Best Screenplay for the director, the awards list for the 2014 Césars therefore clearly leaned towards original and intelligent comedy.

However, a second message was also sent out by the professionals with the serious setback suffered by the big favourite, Blue is the Warmest Colour [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Abdellatif Kechiche
film profile
]
by Abdellatif Kechiche, which only won one César: Best Female Newcomer for Adèle Exarchopoulos, who was thus eliminated from the race for Best Actress, according to the rules. Following in the footsteps of Under the Sun of Satan and The Class, the film therefore joined the ranks of French Palme d’Or winners at Cannes that were given the cold shoulder by the Césars. However, it is very likely that it is also paying for the numerous controversies that accompanied its release. There was an atmosphere of score-settling that gave a rather odd taste to the title of Best Film won by Me Myself and Mum, as it was a remarkable and exciting feature film, but perhaps one that didn’t deserve as many awards.

Lastly, of note was the new record set by Roman Polanski, who now has four Césars for Best Director, thanks to the one he won for Venus in Fur [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Roman Polanski
film profile
]
; also of interest was the surprise win by The Broken Circle Breakdown [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Felix van Groeningen
interview: Felix Van Groeningen
interview: Felix Van Groeningen
film profile
]
 by Belgian director Felix Van Groeningen for Best Foreign Film.

Full list of César 2014 winners:

Best Film
Me Myself and Mum
Produced by Edouard Weil, Cyril Colbeau-Justin and Jean-Baptiste Dupont, directed by Guillaume Gallienne

Best Actress
Sandrine Kiberlain – 9 Month Stretch

Best Actor
Guillaume Gallienne – Me Myself and Mum

Best Director
Roman Polanski – Venus in Fur

Best Original Screenplay
Albert Dupontel – 9 Month Stretch

Best Adapted Screenplay
Guillaume Gallienne – Me Myself and Mum

Best Actress in a Supporting Role
Adèle Haenel – Suzanne [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Katell Quillévéré
film profile
]

Best Actor in a Supporting Role
Niels Arestrup – Quai d'Orsay [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]

Best Female Newcomer
Adèle Exarchopoulos – Blue is the Warmest Colour

Best Male Newcomer
Pascal Deladonchamps – Stranger by the Lake [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Alain Guiraudie
film profile
]

Best Debut Film
Me Myself and Mum – Guillaume Gallienne

Best Documentary
On the Way to School [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
 –
 Pascal Plisson

Best Cinematography
Thomas Hardmeier – The Young and Prodigious T.S. Spivet [+see also:
trailer
making of
film profile
]

Best Editing
Valérie Deseine – Me Myself and Mum

Best Original Soundtrack
Martin Wheeler – Michael Kohlhaas [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Arnaud des Pallières
film profile
]

Best Sound
Jean-Pierre Duret, Jean Mallet and Mélissa Petitjean – Michael Kohlhaas

Best Wardrobe
Pascale Chavanne – Renoir [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Christa Théret
film profile
]

Best Set Design
Stéphane Rozenbaum – L'écume des jours [+see also:
trailer
making of
interview: Michel Gondry
film profile
]

Best Animated Feature Film
Wolfy, the Incredible Secret [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
 – Eric Omond

Best Short Film
Avant que de tout perdre – Xavier Legrand

Best Animated Short Film
Mademoiselle Kiki et les Montparnos – Amélie Harrault

Best Foreign Film
The Broken Circle Breakdown – Felix Van Groeningen

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(Translated from French)

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