20/02/2015 - Abderrahmane Sissako’s movie has snagged seven trophies, including that for Best Film; Adèle Haenel and Pierre Niney were crowned Best Actress and Actor

Widely considered to have been seriously overlooked in the awards list of the 2014 Cannes Film Festival, Timbuktu [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] by Abderrahmane Sissako (read the review) has crushed the competition at the 40^th edition of the César Awards. Nominated in eight categories, the feature was crowned Best Film and bagged itself a total of seven trophies, also emerging victorious in the categories of Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Sound, Best Editing and Best Music. Produced by Sylvie Pialat for Les Films du Worso, with Armada Films, Arte France Cinéma, Orange Studio and backing from Canal+ and the CNC’s advance on receipts, the film has been sold almost everywhere around the globe by Le Pacte, which is also distributing it in French theatres (it has already taken 762,000 admissions over ten weeks and is still screening).

The other big winner of the evening was Love at First Fight [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Thomas Cailley
film profile] by Thomas Cailley (read the review and the interview), with its three prizes: Best Actress for Adèle Haenel (26 years old), Best Debut Film and Most Promising Actor.

The younger generation took pride of place in terms of acting talent, as Pierre Niney (25 years old) won the César for Best Actor for Yves Saint Laurent [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Jalil Lespert
film profile].

Also of note were Kristen Stewart’s victory in the Best Supporting Actress category for Clouds of Sils Maria [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Charles Gillibert
interview: Olivier Assayas
film profile], the Best Animated Film Award snagged by Minuscule – Valley of the Lost Ants [+see also:
trailer
film profile] by duo Thomas Szabo and Hélène Giraud, the César for Best Documentary that went to The Salt of the Earth [+see also:
trailer
film profile] by Wim Wenders and Juliano Ribeiro Salgado, and the Best Foreign Film Award won by Xavier Dolan’s Mommy.

Lastly, it is worth pointing out that a tribute was dedicated to the late Alain Resnais and that an Honorary César Award went to US star Sean Penn.

Here is the full awards list:

Best Film
Timbuktu – produced by Sylvie Pialat and Etienne Comar, directed by Abderrahmane Sissako

Best Actress
Adèle Haenel – Love at First Fight

Best Actor
Pierre Niney – Yves Saint Laurent

Best Director
Abderrahmane Sissako – Timbuktu

Best Original Screenplay
Abderrahmane Sissako and Kessen Tall – Timbuktu

Best Adaptation
Cyril Gély and Volker Schlöndorff – Diplomacy [+see also:
trailer
film profile]

Best Supporting Actress
Kristen Stewart – Clouds of Sils Maria

Best Supporting Actor
Reda Kateb – Hippocrates [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Thomas Lilti
film profile]

Most Promising Actress
Louane Emera – La famille Bélier [+see also:
trailer
making of
film profile]

Most Promising Actor
Kevin Azaïs – Love at First Fight 

Best Debut Film
Love at First Fight – Thomas Cailley

Best Documentary Film
The Salt of the Earth – Wim Wenders and Juliano Ribeiro Salgado

Best Cinematography
Sofian El Fani – Timbuktu 

Best Editing
Nadia Ben Rachid – Timbuktu 

Best Original Score
Ibrahim Maalouf – Yves Saint Laurent 

Best Sound
Philippe Welsh, Roman Dymny and Thierry Delor – Timbuktu

Best Costumes
Anaïs Romand – Saint Laurent [+see also:
film review
trailer
Q&A: Bertrand Bonello
film profile]

Best Production Design
Thierry Flamant – Beauty and the Beast [+see also:
trailer
making of
interview: Christophe Gans
interview: Léa Seydoux
interview: Vincent Cassel
film profile]

Best Animated Feature Film
Minuscule – Valley of the Lost Ants – Thomas Szabo and Hélène Giraud 

Best Short Film
La femme de Rio – Emma Luchini and Nicolas Rey

Best Animated Short Film
Les petits cailloux – Chloé Mazlo

Best Foreign Film
Mommy – Xavier Dolan

(Translated from French)