‘Lost Illusions’, ‘Annette’ triumph at 47th César awards

Xavier Giannoli’s costume drama Lost Illusions was the big winner at the 47th Cesar awards of France’s Academy of Cinema and Arts and Sciences on Friday evening (25), winning best film, adapted screenplay, costume and supporting actor among others.  

The adaptation of Honoré de Balzac’s19th-century novel premiered in competition at Venice last year. It was the frontrunner at the nomination stage, making it into 15 of the 24 César categories.

The other big winner of the evening was Leos Carax’s English-language musical Annette. Carax won best director, while Ron and Russell Mael won best original score and the film also clinched best sound, special effects and editing.

Annette premiered in competition in Cannes last year, where Carax also scooped best director. Carax was absent from the ceremony in Paris. Annette co-star Adam Driver attended and left empty-handed after a best actor nod. Instead the award went to Benoit Magimel for his performance as a dying man in Peaceful. Best actress went to Valérie Lemercier for her performance in her film Aline, loosely inspired by the life of Celine Dion. 

In other prizes Anamaria Vartolomei won best female newcomer for her performance in Audrey Diwan’s Venice Golden Lion-winning abortion drama Happening. Julia Ducournau’s Palme d’Or winner Titane did not win in any category. 

This year’s ceremony was uncharacteristically devoid of controversy after tumultuous, politically-charged editions in 2020 and 2021. Master of ceremonies Antoine de Caunes had promised a “joyous” and “emotional” evening putting cinema at the heart of the ceremony, in interviews in the lead-up to the 47th edition.

He kept this promise. Aside from a brief allusion to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, de Caunes ensured the mood remained upbeat and light-hearted

César of honour recipient Cate Blanchett also referred to the unfolding crisis in Ukraine but mostly focused her acceptance speech on her love and respect for French cinema.

Voted on by the 4,363 members of France’s Academy of Cinema Arts and Techniques, the awards covered films that received a theatrical release in 2021.

2022 César winners in bold

Best Film

• Aline, Valérie Lemercier
• Annette, Leos Carax
• The Stronghold, Cédric Jimenez
• Happening, Audrey Diwan
• The Divide, Catherine Corsini
• Lost Illusions, Xavier Giannoli
• Onoda, 10,000 Nights In The Jungle, Arthur Harari

Best Director

• Valérie Lemercier, Aline
• Leos Carax, Annette
• Cedric Diwan, The Stronghold
• Xavier Giannoli, Lost Illusions
• Arthur Harari, 10,000 Nights In The Jungle
• Julia Ducournau, Titane

Best screenplay

• Valérie Lemercier, Brigitte Buc, Aline
• Leos Carax, Ron Mael, Russell Mael, Annette
• Yann Gozlan, Simon Moutaïrou, Nicolas Bouvet-Levrard, Black Box
• Catherine Corsini, Laurette Polmanss, Agnès Feuvre, The Divide
• Arthur Harari, Vincent Poymiro, Onoda, 10,000 Nights In The Jungle

Best screenplay adaptation

• Yaël Langmann, Yvan Attal, The Accusation
• Audrey Diwan, Marcia Romano, Happening
• Xavier Giannoli, Jacques Fieschi, Lost Illusions
  
• Céline Sciamma, Léa Mysius, Jacques Audiard, Paris, 13th District
• Mathieu Amalric, Hold Me Tight

Best Actress

• Leïla Bekhti, The Restless
• Valeria Bruno Tedeschi, The Divide
• Laura Calamy, Her Way
• Virginie Efira, Benedetta
• Vicky, Krieps, Hold Me Tight
• Valérie Lemercier, Aline
• Léa Seydoux, France

Best actor

• Damien Bonnard, The Restless
• Adam Driver, Annette
• Gilles Lellouche, The Stronghold
• Vincent Macaigne, Night Doctor
• Benoit Magimel, Peaceful
• Pio Marmaï, The Divide
• Pierre Niney, Black Box

Best actress in a supporting role

• Jeanne Balibar, Lost Illusions
• Cécile de France, Lost Illusions
• Aissatou Diallo Sagna, The Divide
• Adèle Exarchopoulos, Mandibles
• Danielle Fichaud, Aline

Best actor in a supporting role

• François Civil, The Stronghold
• Xavier Dolan, Lost Illusions
• Vincent Lacoste, Lost Illusions
• Karim Leklou, The Stronghold
• Sylvain Marcel, Aline

Best female acting hope

• Noée Abita, Slalom
• Salomé Dewaels, Lost Illusions
• Agathe Rousselle, Titane
• Anamaria Vartolomei, Happening
• Lucie Zhang, Paris, 13th District

Best male acting hope

• Sandor Funtek, Suprêmes
• Sami Aoutalbali, A Story Of Love And Desire
• Thimotée Robart, Magnetic Beats
• Makita Samba, Paris, 13th District
• Benjamin Voisin, Lost Illusions
  

Best animated feature

• Even Mice Belong In Heaven, Denisa Grimmova, Jan Bubenicek
• The Summit Of The Gods, Patrick Imbert
• The Crossing, Florence Miailhe

Best first film

• Gagarine, Fanny Liatard, Jérémy Trouilh
• Magnetic Beats, Vincent Maël Cardona
• The Swarm, Just Philpott
• The Velvet Queen, Marie Amiguet, Vincent Munier
• Slalom, Charlène Favier

Best documentary feature

• Animal, Cyril Dion
• Bigger Than Us, Flore Vasseur
• Those Who Care, Gilles Perret, François Ruffin
• Gallant Indies, Philippe Béziat
• The Velvet Queen, Marie Amiguet, Vincent Munier

Best foreign film

• Compartment No. 6, Juho Kuosmanen
• Drive My Car, Ryusuke Hamaguchi
• First Cow, Kelly Reichardt
• The Worst Person In The World, Joachim Trier
• The Law Of Tehran, Safeed Roustayi
• Parallel Mothers, Pedro Almodovar
• The Father, Florian Zeller

Best Original Score

• Ron Mael, Russell Mael, Annette
  
• Guillaume Roussel, The Stronghold
  
• Philippe Rombi, Black Box
• Rone, Paris, 13th District
• Warren Ellis, Nick Cave, The Velvet Queen

Best Sound

• Olivier Mauvezin, Arnaud Rolland, Edouard Morin, Daniel Sobrino, Aline
• Erwan Kerzanet, Katia Boutin, Maxence Dussère, Paul Heymans, Thomas Gauder, Annette
• Nicolas Provost, Nicolas Bouvet-Levrard, Marc Doisne, Black Box
• François Musy, Renaud Musy, Didier Lozahic, Lost Illusions
• Mathieu Descamps, Pierre Bariaud, Samuel Aïchoun, Magnetic Beats

Best Cinematography

• Caroline Champetier, Annette
• Christophe Beaucarne, Lost Illusions
• Paul Guilhaume, Paris, 13th District
• Tom Harari, Onoda, 10,000 Nights In The Jungl
• Ruben Impens, Titane

Best Editing

• Nelly Quettier, Annette
• Simon Jacquet, The Stronghold
• Valentin Féron, Black Box
• Frédéric Baillehaiche, The Divide
• Cyril Nakache, Lost Illusions

Best Costume Design

• Catherine Leterrier, Aline
• Pascaline Chavanne, Annette
• Madeleine Fontaine, Delicious
• Thierry Delettre, Eiffel
• Pierre-Jean Laroque, Lost Illusions

Best Set Design

• Emmanuelle Duplay, Aline
• Florian Sanson, Annette
• Bertrand Seitz, Delicious
• Stéphane Taillasson, Eiffel
• Riton Dupire-Clémént, Lost Illusions

Best Visual Effects

• Sébastien Rame, Aline
• Guillaume Pondard, Annette
• Olivier Cauwet, Eiffel
• Arnaud Fouquet, Julien Meesters, Lost Illusions
• Martial Vallanchon, Titane

Best Animated Short

• Empty Places, Geoffroy De Crécy
• Folie Douce, Folie Dure, Marine Laclotte
• Le Monde En Soi, Sandrine Stoïanov, Jean-Charles Finck
• Précieux, Paul Max

Best Documentary Short

• America, Giacomo Abbruzzese
• Les Antilopes, Maxime Martinot
• La Fin Des Rois, Rémi Brachet
• Maalbeek, Ismaël Joffroy Chandoutis

Best Short Film

• L’Age Tendre, Julien Gaspar-Oliveri
• Le Départ, Saïd Hamich Benlarbi
• Des Gens Bien, Maxime Roy
• Les Mauvais Garçons, Elie Girard
• Soldat Noir, Jimmy Laporal-Trésor

• Ukrainian filmmakers and execs put down cameras and pick up guns in fight for their country