34th César Awards

The 34th ceremony of the César Awards, the most important French Film Awards, held on 27 February 2009 at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris.

Favorite Movies

Announcing the nominations on 23 January 2009 dominated Jean -François Richet's two-part feature film Mesrine ( in German speaking countries under the titles Public Enemy No 1 -. Mordinstinkt and Public Enemy No. 1 -. Todestrieb published) awards ceremony with ten nominations. The thriller starring Vincent Cassel in the title role of the French criminal Jacques Mesrine violence was granted great success with the public and competed against six other film productions after only five nominees in the Best Picture were always presented in the previous years. The prize for the best film of the year, but Martin Provost's Séraphine secured the title as seven out of nine possible trophies to the most successful film of the evening. The drama tells the story of Séraphine Louis, which is detected as a maid in the house of the German art dealer Wilhelm Uhde and as Séraphine de Senlis ascends to one of the most influential naive painters of France.

In addition to the prizes for best adapted screenplay, film music, camera, costumes and scenery to Séraphine also secured the award for Best Actress, which was handed over to the Belgian Yolande Moreau. Moreau, which celebrated its 56th birthday on the day of the ceremony, had been four years earlier received the award for the tragicomedy When the tide comes. She sat down opposite the two Brit Kristin Scott Thomas ( So many years I love you) and Tilda Swinton (Julia ), the Françoise Sagan actress and former winner Sylvie Testud ( Sagan ) and Catherine Frot by. Frot competed with Pascal Thomas ' Agatha Christie film Le Crime est notre affaire for the fifth time in vain for the prize for Best Actress, which is a record low.

Vincent Cassel received for his portrayal of Jacques Mesrine after two unsuccessful nominations the César for best actor. The French actor, who recalled in his speech with a short film clip of his two years previously deceased father, Jean -Pierre Cassel, was among other things, against the actor Coluche François -Xavier Demaison ( Coluche, l' histoire d'un mec ) and Guillaume Depardieu victorious., Who died in October 2008, son of Gérard Depardieu had received for the part of the spirited and seriously ill homeless Damien in Pierre Schoeller's drama Versailles posthumous nomination. Mesrine received other awards for Best Director and Best Sound.

Also received three César Rémi Bezançons C'est la vie - So are we, so is the life ( nine nominations ). The dramedy, which had reached over one million moviegoers in France, won the trophies for best young actor ( Déborah François and the absent Marc-André Grondin ) and Best Editing. Two victories achieved Philippe Claudel's highly acclaimed family drama So many years I Love You ( Best Supporting Actress, Best debut ), one award each won Arnaud Desplechin Un conte de Noël ( Best Supporting Actor ) and Laurent Cantet's Golden Palm winner The Class. Cantet's film adaptation of a book by François Bégaudeau property, which participates in semi-documentary on French classes an average and culturally heterogeneous Parisian middle school class, had unsuccessfully for the Oscar in the Best Foreign Language Film category competes few days earlier.

Unprämiert was also the film nominated for Best Comedy To Paris by Cédric Klapisch, who received three nominations. Even before the voting membership of the Académie des Arts et Techniques du Cinéma, which awards the César Award, the successful comedies of cinema in 2008 had almost completely ignored. Dany Boon Welcome to the Sticks, which became 17 million tickets sold for the most successful feature films of the French film history, received only a screenplay nomination. This had the French comedian and director of Algerian descent took the opportunity to criticize and to boycott this year's ceremony. Boon but eventually participated as award presenter for the Best First Film at the ceremony.

Christophe Barra animal tragicomedy Paris, Paris - Monsieur Pigoil on the road to happiness had only received five nominations in technical categories and remained, like Paris and So Welcome to the Sticks is unprämiert. The award for best foreign film won Ari Folman's Waltz with Bashir. The critically acclaimed animated documentary film set to defend yourself against the European Film Award winner Gomorrah - journey into the realm of the Camorra in Italy, Sean Penn's drama Into the Wild and Paul Thomas Anderson's last year several times nominated for an Oscar epic There Will Be Blood through. As in the category Best Film were seven foreign films have been nominated instead of as in the previous five. The prize for the best documentary won Agnès Varda for The Beaches of Agnès. The renowned Autorenfilmerin represents in her work after childhood and other memories and discusses, among other things to the early days of the Nouvelle Vague and the optimism of the sixties in the USA.

The ceremony was broadcast live transferred from the French pay-TV broadcaster Canal and broadcast in German-speaking countries of TV5MONDE Europe. The moderator was responsible, as last year the French director and actor Antoine de Caunes, who opened the gala with a tap dance number in homage to the film Singin 'in the Rain. President of the ceremony was the actress Charlotte Gainsbourg. Was awarded the Honorary Award of the American actor Dustin Hoffman. The two-time Oscar winner had been a few days previously, been honored with the highest French cultural order, the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres and received the award from his fellow actress Emma Thompson (Love at second sight ). Was reminiscent of the renowned French film director and producer Claude Berri, who died a few days before the announcement of the César Award nominations as well as Georges Cravenne, founder of French film prize.

Winners and nominations

Best Film ( Meilleur film)

Presented by Charlotte Gainsbourg and Sean Penn

Séraphine - Director: Martin Provost

Best Director ( Meilleur réalisateur )

Presented by Carole Bouquet

Jean -François Richet - Public Enemy No.. 1 - Killer Instinct ( Mesrine: L' Instinct de mort ) and Public Enemy No.. 1 - death drive ( Mesrine: L' Ennemi public n ° 1)

Best Actor ( Meilleur acteur )

Presented by Diane Kruger

Vincent Cassel - Mesrine. 1 - Killer Instinct ( Mesrine: L' Instinct de mort ) and Public Enemy No.. 1 - death drive ( Mesrine: L' Ennemi public n ° 1)

Best Actress ( Meilleure actrice )

Presented by Lambert Wilson

Yolande Moreau - Seraphine

Best Supporting Actor ( Meilleur acteur dans un second rôle )

Presented by Julie Depardieu

Jean -Paul Roussillon - Un conte de Noël

Best Supporting Actress ( Meilleure actrice dans un second rôle )

Presented by Tomer Sisley

Elsa Zylberstein - So many years I Love You ( Il ya long temps que je t'aime )

Best Young Actor ( Meilleur jeune espoir féminin )

Presented by Cécile Cassel

Marc -André Grondin - C'est la vie - how we are, that's life (Le Premier jour du reste de ta vie)

Most Promising Actress ( Meilleur jeune espoir féminin )

Presented by Gaspard Ulliel

Déborah François - C'est la vie - how we are, that's life (Le Premier jour du reste de ta vie)

Best debut ( Meilleur premier film)

Presented by Dany Boon

So many years, I Love You ( Il ya long temps que je t'aime ) - Directed by Philippe Claudel

Best Original Screenplay ( Meilleur scénario original)

Presented by Florence Foresti

Marc Abdelnour and Martin Provost - Séraphine

Best Adapted Screenplay ( Meilleur scénario adaptation)

Presented by Tilda Swinton

Laurent Cantet, François Bégaudeau and Robin Campillo - The Class ( Entre les murs )

Best Original Score ( Meilleure écrite musique pour un film)

Presented by Aissa Maiga

Michael Galasso - Séraphine

Best Production Design ( Meilleurs décors )

Presented by the laity ensemble cast of the film The Class

Thierry François - Séraphine

Best Costume Design ( Meilleurs costumes)

Presented by Guillaume Gallienne and Amira Casar

Madeline Fontaine - Séraphine

Best Cinematography ( Meilleure photo )

Presented by Mylène Jampanoï

Laurent Brunet - Séraphine

Best Sound ( Meilleur son)

Presented by Guillaume Gallienne and Amira Casar

Jean Minondo, Gérard Hardy, Alexandre Widmer, Loïc Prian, François Groult and Hervé Buirette - Public Enemy No.. 1 - Killer Instinct ( Mesrine: L' Instinct de mort ) and Public Enemy No.. 1 - death drive ( Mesrine: L' Ennemi public n ° 1)

Best Editing ( Meilleur montage )

Presented by Laurent Stocker and Léa Drucker

Sophie Reine - C'est la vie - how we are, that's life (Le Premier jour du reste de ta vie)

Best Short Film ( Meilleur court- métrage )

Presented by Julie Ferrier

Les Miettes - Director: Pierre Pinaud

Best Documentary Film ( Meilleur film- documentaire )

Presented by Élie Semoun

The Beaches of Agnès (Les Plages d' Agnès ) - Director: Agnès Varda

Best Foreign Film ( Meilleur film- étranger )

Presented by Monica Bellucci

Waltz with Bashir ( ואלס עם באשיר / Vals In Bashir ), Germany / Israel / France - Director: Ari Folman

Speedwell ( César d' honneur )

Presented by Emma Thompson