After 2020’s Cesár Awards brought storms, the following year has brought nothing more than scattered dust showers. France’s Oscar equivalent has decided that the best way to follow a year of scandal due to their support of child rapist Roman Polanski is simply to pretend it hadn’t happened. The only acknowledgement of Adèle Haenel and Céline Sciamma’s walkouts, the latter of whom recently left a ceremony in which the president of the CNC, accused of sexual abuse, was present, as well as Aïssa Maïga’s public call-out of industry racism has been through offering Adèle Haenel an honorary award, which she refused to attend to receive. The hollow olive branch has been heavily covered in the French press, to little avail.
The ceremony proceeded this year in the usual manner, usual being sketch comedy attempts like a more overtly racist version of SNL, a chance to see a few of your favorite actresses suddenly unable to decipher how to properly wear a face mask, and some surprise full-frontal nudity, in the case of Corinne Masiero’s stripped down protest to pandemic arts closures. The ceremony works much the same as a lobster trap: one is lured in by a passing interest in Marina Foïs as host, and is treated to hours of the same old school industry insiders patting themselves in the back as you hope for some recognition for a newer radical batch of cinema.
Out of the nominations themselves, highlights include Sébastien Lifshitz’s poetically real documentary about teenage girls Adolescentes, with a surprise presence in the best film category, lesbian pensioner romantic drama Deux, François Ozone’s eighties teenage gay romance Summer of 85, and donkey-starring romcom My Donkey My Lover and I with top chances. There’s also recognition for Maïmouna Doucouré’s unfairly scandalized teen film Cuties in the newcomer categories, as well as a rare awards season nod for beautiful Spanish film The August Virgin.
It’s a very comedy-heavy year, with slights to some dramas heavily awarded at comparable ceremonies, like the Lumieres. A particular head scratcher is the total shut-out of Slalom, which focuses on sexual abuse of a teenage girl by her ski coach. Last year, themes in the film were quite common, in prize winners like By the Grace of God and M, but this year it seems the ceremony has circumvented the hypocrisy of awarding these films and then Roman Polanski in its complete bypass of Slalom.
In terms of winners, most categories played it very safe. Bye Bye Morons took home most of the major prizes, and it’s a film that, while not particularly offensive, isn’t challenging the sensibilities of the voting body or viewers. The film took so many top prizes (without its director present at the ceremony) that it’s hard to analyze the scope of the awards, as just about everything it is eligible for it wins. However, a deserving win goes to Laure Calamy for My Donkey My Lover and I in best actress, with one of the more emotional speeches of the night.
All in all, the Cesárs have decided to take the quiet route for 2021. Often avoiding more socially progressive or radical films where possible, the ceremony is treated just like any year, with almost entirely white actors presenting and skirting around the social politics of the industry, all refusing to call out that many asked for change openly. Of course, the shame that runs deep here also lies in the less serious, that the skits remain unfunny, and Patrick the donkey was not invited for his star-making role.
BEST FILM
Bye Bye Morons, dir: Albert Dupontel
Adolescentes, dir: Sébastien Lifshitz
My Donkey My Lover and I, dir: Caroline Vignal
Les Choses Qu’On Dit, Les Choses Qu’On Fait, dir: Emmanuel Mouret
Summer Of 85, dir: François Ozon
BEST DIRECTOR
Albert Dupontel, Bye Bye Morons
Maîwenn, DNA
Sébastien Lifshitz, Adolescentes
Emmanuel Mouret, Les Choses Qu’On Dit, Les Choses Qu’On Fait
François Ozon, Summer Of 85
BEST ACTRESS
Laure Calamy, My Donkey My Lover and I
Martine Chevallier, Two Of Us
Virginie Efira, Bye Bye Morons
Camélia Jordana, Les Choses Qu’On Dit, Les Choses Qu’On Fait
Barbara Sukowa, Two Of Us
BEST ACTOR
Sami Bouajila, Un Fils
Jonathan Cohen, Enorme
Albert Dupontel, Bye Bye Morons
Niels Schneider, Les Choses Qu’On Dit, Les Choses Qu’On Fait
Lambert Wilson, De Gaulle
BEST FOREIGN FILM
1917, dir: Sam Mendes
Corpus Christi, dir: Jan Komasa
Dark Waters, dir: Todd Haynes
Another Round, dir: Thomas Vinterberg
The August Virgin, dir: Jonas Trueba
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Fanny Ardant, DNA
Valeria Bruni Tedeschi, Summer Of 85
Emilie Dequenne, Les Choses Qu’On Dit, Les Choses Qu’On Fait
Noémie Lvovsky, La Bonne Epouse
Yolande Moreau, La Bonne Epouse
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Edouard Baer, La Bonne Epouse
Louis Garrel, DNA
Benjamin Lavernhe, My Donkey My Lover and I
Vincent Macaigne, Les Choses Qu’On Dit, Les Choses Qu’On Fait
Nicolas Mairé, Bye Bye Morons
BEST FEMALE NEWCOMER
Mélissa Guers, La Fille Au Bracelet
India Hair, Poissonsexe
Julia Piaton, Les Choses Qu’On Dit, Les Choses Qu’On Fait
Camille Rutherford, Felicità
Fathia Youssouf, Cuties
BEST MALE NEWCOMER
Guang Huo, La Nuit Venue
Félix Lefebvre, Summer Of 85
Benjamin Voisin, Summer Of 85
Alexandre Wetter, Miss
Jean-Pascal Zadi, Tout Simplement Noir
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Albert Dupontel, Bye Bye Morons
Caroline Vignal, Antoinette Dans Les Cévennes
Emmanuel Mouret, Les Choses Qu’On Dit, Les Choses Qu’On Fait
Filippo Meneghetti and Malysone Bovorashy, Two Of Us
Benoît Delépine and Gustave Kerven, Effacer L’Historique
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Olivier Assayas, Wasp Network
Hannelore Cayre and Jean-Paul Salomé, La Daronne
François Ozon, Summer Of 85
Stéphanie Demoustier, La Fille Au Bracelet
Eric Barbier, Petit Pays
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Alexis Kavyrchine, Bye Bye Morons
Antoine Parouty and Paul Guilhaume, Adolescentes
Simon Beaufils, My Donkey My Lover and I
Laurent Desmet, Les Choses Qu’On Dit, Les Choses Qu’On Fait
Hichame Alaouié, Summer Of 85
BEST EDITING
Christophe Pinel, Bye Bye Morons
Tina Baz, Adolescentes
Annette Dutertre, My Donkey My Lover and I
Marital Salomon, Les Choses Qu’On Dit, Les Choses Qu’On Fait
Laure Gardette, Summer Of 85
BEST COSTUME DESIGN
Mimi Lempicka, Bye Bye Morons
Madeline Fontaine, La Bonne Epouse
Hélène Davoudian, Les Choses Qu’On Dit, Les Choses Qu’On Fait
Anaïs Romand and Sergio Ballo, De Gaulle
Pascaline Chavanne, Summer Of 85
BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
Carlos Conti, Bye Bye Morons
Thierry François, La Bonne Epouse
David Faivre, Les Choses Qu’On Dit, Les Choses Qu’On Fait
Nicolas De Boiscuillé, De Gaulle
Benoît Barouh, Summer Of 85
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
Calamity, a Childhood of Martha Jane Cannary, dir: Rémi Chayé
Josep, dir: Aurel
Little Vampire, dir: Joann Sfar
BEST DOCUMENTARY
Adolescentes, dir: Sébastien Lifshitz
La Cravate, dir: Etienne Chaillou and Mathias Théry
Cyrille Agriculteur, 30 Ans, 20 Vaches, Du Lait, Du Beurre, Des Dettes, dir: Rodolphe Marconi
Histoire D’Un Regard, dir: Mariana Otero
Un Pays Qui Se Tient Sage, dir: David Du Fresne
BEST FIRST FILM
Two Of Us, dir: Filippo Meneghetti
Garçon Chiffon, dir: Nicolas Maury
Cuties, dir: Maïmouna Doucouré
Tout Simplement Noir, dir: Jean-Pascal Zadi
Un Divan A Tunis, dir: Manele Labidi
BEST SCORE
Christophe Julien, Bye Bye Morons
Stephen Warbeck, DNA
Mateï Bratescot, My Donkey My Lover and I
Jean-Benoït Dunckel, Summer Of 85
Rone, La Nuit Venue