# César Award for Best Writing

The César Award for Best Writing (French: César du meilleur scénario, dialogues ou adaptation (1976-1982); César du meilleur scénario original ou adaptation (1986-2005) is a discontinued award given by the Académie des Arts et Techniques du Cinéma from 1976 to 2005. It was split into César Award for Best Original Screenplay and César Award for Best Adaptation in 2006.

## Winners and nominees
### 1970s

| Year | Winners and nominees | Original title | Writer(s) |
| 1976 (1st) | Let Joy Reign Supreme | Que la fête commence | Bertrand Tavernier and Jean Aurenche |
| 1976 (1st) | Sept morts sur ordonnance | Sept morts sur ordonnance | Georges Conchon and Jacques Rouffio |
| 1976 (1st) | Le Vieux Fusil | Le Vieux Fusil | Robert Enrico and Pascal Jardin |
| 1976 (1st) | Cousin, cousine | Cousin, cousine | Jean-Charles Tacchella |
| 1977 (2nd) | The Judge and the Assassin | Le Juge et l'Assassin | Jean Aurenche and Bertrand Tavernier |
| 1977 (2nd) | The Best Way to Walk | La Meilleure Façon de marcher | Luc Béraud and Claude Miller |
| 1977 (2nd) | Pardon Mon Affaire | Un éléphant ça trompe énormément | Jean-Loup Dabadie |
| 1977 (2nd) | The Toy | Le Jouet | Francis Veber |
| 1978 (3rd) | Providence | Providence | David Mercer |
| 1978 (3rd) | Death of a Corrupt Man | Mort d'un pourri | Michel Audiard |
| 1978 (3rd) | That Obscure Object of Desire | Cet obscur objet du désir | Luis Buñuel and Jean-Claude Carrière |
| 1978 (3rd) | Pardon Mon Affaire, Too! | Nous irons tous au paradis | Jean-Loup Dabadie |
| 1979 (4th) | Dossier 51 | Le Dossier 51 | Gilles Perrault and Michel Deville |
| 1979 (4th) | L'Argent des autres | L'Argent des autres | Christian de Chalonge and Pierre Dumayet |
| 1979 (4th) | Le sucre | Le sucre | Georges Conchon and Jacques Rouffio |
| 1979 (4th) | A Simple Story | Une histoire simple | Jean-Loup Dabadie and Claude Sautet |

### 1980s

| Year | Winners and nominees | Original title | Writer(s) |
| 1980 (5th) | Buffet froid | Buffet froid | Bertrand Blier |
| 1980 (5th) | The Hussy | La Drôlesse | Jacques Doillon |
| 1980 (5th) | I as in Icarus | I... comme Icare | Didier Decoin and Henri Verneuil |
| 1980 (5th) | Série noire | Série noire | Alain Corneau and Georges Perec |
| 1981 (6th) | The Last Metro | Le Dernier Métro | François Truffaut and Suzanne Schiffman |
| 1981 (6th) | My American Uncle | Mon oncle d'Amérique | Jean Gruault |
| 1981 (6th) | Atlantic City | Atlantic City | John Guare |
| 1981 (6th) | Death Watch | La Mort en direct | David Rayfiel and Bertrand Tavernier |
| 1982 (7th) | Garde à vue | Garde à vue | Jean Herman, Michel Audiard and Claude Miller |
| 1982 (7th) | Coup de Torchon | Coup de Torchon | Jean Aurenche and Bertrand Tavernier |
| 1982 (7th) | Quest for Fire | La Guerre du feu | Gérard Brach |
| 1982 (7th) | Strange Affair | Une étrange affaire | Christopher Frank, Pierre Granier-Deferre and Jean-Marc Roberts |
The César Award for Best Adaptation and the César Award for Best Original Screenplay were awarded from 1983 to 1985.
| Year | Winners and nominees | Original title | Writer(s) |
| 1986 (11th) | Three Men and a Cradle | Trois hommes et un couffin | Coline Serreau |
| 1986 (11th) | Rendez-vous | Rendez-vous | Jean Gruault |
| 1986 (11th) | He Died with His Eyes Open | On ne meurt que deux fois | Michel Audiard and Jacques Deray |
| 1986 (11th) | An Impudent Girl | L'Effrontée | Luc Béraud, Claude Miller, Annie Miller and Bernard Stora |
| 1986 (11th) | Death in a French Garden | Péril en la demeure | Michel Deville |
| 1987 (12th) | Thérèse | Thérèse | Camille de Casabianca and Alain Cavalier |
| 1987 (12th) | Jean de Florette | Jean de Florette | Claude Berri and Gérard Brach |
| 1987 (12th) | Ménage | Tenue de soirée | Bertrand Blier |
| 1987 (12th) | The Fugitives | Les Fugitifs | Francis Veber |
| 1988 (13th) | Au revoir les enfants | Au revoir les enfants | Louis Malle |
| 1988 (13th) | Tandem | Tandem | Patrick Dewolf and Patrice Leconte |
| 1988 (13th) | The Grand Highway | Le Grand Chemin | Jean-Loup Hubert |
| 1988 (13th) | Boyfriends and Girlfriends | L'Ami de mon amie | Éric Rohmer |
| 1988 (13th) | Beatrice | La Passion Béatrice | Colo Tavernier O'Hagan |
| 1989 (14th) | Life Is a Long Quiet River | La vie est un long fleuve tranquille | Étienne Chatiliez and Florence Quentin |
| 1989 (14th) | The Little Thief | La Petite Voleuse | Luc Béraud, François Truffaut, Claude de Givray and Annie Miller |
| 1989 (14th) | The Reader | La Lectrice | Michel Deville and Rosalinde Deville |
| 1989 (14th) | A Strange Place to Meet | Drôle d'endroit pour une rencontre | François Dupeyron and Dominique Faysse |

### 1990s

| Year | Winners and nominees | Original title | Writer(s) |
| 1990 (15th) | Too Beautiful for You | Trop belle pour toi | Bertrand Blier |
| 1990 (15th) | Life and Nothing But | La Vie et rien d'autre | Jean Cosmos and Bertrand Tavernier |
| 1990 (15th) | Force majeure | Force majeure | Pierre Jolivet and Olivier Schatzky |
| 1990 (15th) | Love Without Pity | Un monde sans pitié | Éric Rochant |
| 1991 (16th) | La Discrète | La Discrète | Jean-Pierre Ronssin and Christian Vincent |
| 1991 (16th) | Cyrano de Bergerac | Cyrano de Bergerac | Jean-Claude Carrière and Jean-Paul Rappeneau |
| 1991 (16th) | The Little Gangster | Le Petit Criminel | Jacques Doillon |
| 1991 (16th) | The Hairdresser's Husband | Le Mari de la coiffeuse | Claude Klotz and Patrice Leconte |
| 1992 (17th) | Delicatessen | Delicatessen | Jean-Pierre Jeunet, Marc Caro and Gilles Adrien |
| 1992 (17th) | Merci la vie | Merci la vie | Bertrand Blier |
| 1992 (17th) | Tous les matins du monde | Tous les matins du monde | Alain Corneau and Pascal Quignard |
| 1992 (17th) | Van Gogh | Van Gogh | Maurice Pialat |
| 1993 (18th) | La Crise | La Crise | Coline Serreau |
| 1993 (18th) | L.627 | L.627 | Michel Alexandre and Bertrand Tavernier |
| 1993 (18th) | Savage Nights | Les Nuits fauves | Cyril Collard |
| 1993 (18th) | The Sentinel | La Sentinelle | Arnaud Desplechin |
| 1993 (18th) | A Heart in Winter | Un cœur en hiver | Jacques Fieschi and Claude Sautet |
| 1994 (19th) | Smoking / No Smoking | Smoking / No Smoking | Agnès Jaoui and Jean-Pierre Bacri |
| 1994 (19th) | Germinal | Germinal | Claude Berri and Arlette Langmann-Ramonet |
| 1994 (19th) | My Favorite Season | Ma saison préférée | Pascal Bonitzer and André Téchiné |
| 1994 (19th) | Les Visiteurs | Les Visiteurs | Christian Clavier and Jean-Marie Poiré |
| 1994 (19th) | Three Colors: Blue | Trois Couleurs : Bleu | Krzysztof Kieślowski and Krzysztof Piesiewicz |
| 1995 (20th) | Wild Reeds | Les Roseaux sauvages | André Téchiné, Olivier Massart and Gilles Taurand |
| 1995 (20th) | See How They Fall | Regarde les hommes tomber | Jacques Audiard and Alain Le Henry |
| 1995 (20th) | Grosse Fatigue | Grosse Fatigue | Michel Blanc |
| 1995 (20th) | La Reine Margot | La Reine Margot | Patrice Chéreau and Danièle Thompson |
| 1995 (20th) | Three Colors: Red | Trois Couleurs : Rouge | Krzysztof Kieślowski and Krzysztof Piesiewicz |
| 1996 (21st) | French Twist | Gazon maudit | Telsche Boorman and Josiane Balasko |
| 1996 (21st) | La Cérémonie | La Cérémonie | Claude Chabrol and Caroline Eliacheff |
| 1996 (21st) | Nelly and Mr. Arnaud | Nelly et Monsieur Arnaud | Jacques Fieschi and Claude Sautet |
| 1996 (21st) | La Haine | La Haine | Mathieu Kassovitz |
| 1996 (21st) | Happiness Is in the Field | Le Bonheur est dans le pré | Florence Quentin |
| 1997 (22nd) | Family Resemblances | Un air de famille | Cédric Klapisch, Agnès Jaoui and Jean-Pierre Bacri |
| 1997 (22nd) | Pédale douce | Pédale douce | Gabriel Aghion and Patrick Timsit |
| 1997 (22nd) | A Self Made Hero | Un héros très discret | Jacques Audiard and Alain Le Henry |
| 1997 (22nd) | Capitaine Conan | Capitaine Conan | Jean Cosmos and Bertrand Tavernier |
| 1997 (22nd) | Ridicule | Ridicule | Rémi Waterhouse |
| 1998 (23rd) | Same Old Song | On connaît la chanson | Agnès Jaoui and Jean-Pierre Bacri |
| 1998 (23rd) | Le Cousin | Le Cousin | Michel Alexandre and Alain Corneau |
| 1998 (23rd) | Dry Cleaning | Nettoyage à sec | Anne Fontaine and Gilles Taurand |
| 1998 (23rd) | Western | Western | Jean-François Goyet and Manuel Poirier |
| 1998 (23rd) | Marius and Jeannette | Marius et Jeannette | Robert Guédiguian and Jean-Louis Milesi |
| 1999 (24th) | Le Dîner de cons | Le Dîner de cons | Francis Veber |
| 1999 (24th) | The Dreamlife of Angels | La Vie rêvée des anges | Roger Bohbot and Erick Zonca |
| 1999 (24th) | Those Who Love Me Can Take the Train | Ceux qui m'aiment prendront le train | Patrice Chéreau, Danièle Thompson and Pierre Trividic |
| 1999 (24th) | Place Vendôme | Place Vendôme | Jacques Fieschi and Nicole Garcia |
| 1999 (24th) | Train of Life | Train de vie | Robert Guédiguian and Radu Mihaileanu |

### 2000s

| Year | Winners and nominees | Original title | Writer(s) |
| 2000 (25th) | Venus Beauty Institute | Vénus Beauté (Institut) | Tonie Marshall |
| 2000 (25th) | Sachs' Disease | La Maladie de Sachs | Michel Deville and Rosalinde Deville |
| 2000 (25th) | Girl on the Bridge | La Fille sur le pont | Serge Frydman |
| 2000 (25th) | My Little Business | Ma petite entreprise | Pierre Jolivet and Simon Michaël |
| 2000 (25th) | Season's Beatings | La Bûche | Christopher Thompson and Danièle Thompson |
| 2001 (26th) | The Taste of Others | Le Goût des autres | Jean-Pierre Bacri and Agnès Jaoui |
| 2001 (26th) | Harry, He's Here to Help | Harry, un ami qui vous veut du bien | Gilles Marchand and Dominik Moll |
| 2001 (26th) | Human Resources | Ressources humaines | Laurent Cantet and Gilles Marchand |
| 2001 (26th) | A Question of Taste | Une affaire de goût | Bernard Rapp and Gilles Taurand |
| 2001 (26th) | Saint-Cyr | Saint-Cyr | Patricia Mazuy and Yves Thomas |
| 2002 (27th) | Read My Lips | Sur mes lèvres | Jacques Audiard and Tonio Benacquista |
| 2002 (27th) | Amélie (nominated for the Academy Award) | Le Fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain | Jean-Pierre Jeunet and Guillaume Laurant |
| 2002 (27th) | Chaos | Chaos | Coline Serreau |
| 2002 (27th) | No Man's Land | No Man's Land | Danis Tanović |
| 2002 (27th) | The Officers' Ward | La Chambre des officiers | François Dupeyron |
| 2003 (28th) | Amen. | Amen. | Costa-Gavras |
| 2003 (28th) | 8 Women | 8 femmes | François Ozon and Marina de Van |
| 2003 (28th) | The Pianist | The Pianist | Ronald Harwood |
| 2003 (28th) | The Spanish Apartment | L'Auberge espagnole | Cédric Klapisch |
| 2003 (28th) | Summer Things | Embrassez qui vous voudrez | Michel Blanc |
| 2004 (29th) | The Barbarian Invasions (nominated for the Academy Award) | Les Invasions barbares | Denys Arcand |
| 2004 (29th) | Bon voyage | Bon voyage | Patrick Modiano and Jean-Paul Rappeneau |
| 2004 (29th) | Fear and Trembling | Stupeur et tremblements | Alain Corneau |
| 2004 (29th) | One: On the Run Two: An Amazing Couple Three: After Life | Cavale Un couple épatant Après la vie | Lucas Belvaux |
| 2004 (29th) | Since Otar Left | Depuis qu'Otar est parti... | Julie Bertucelli, Roger Bohbot and Bernard Renucci |
| 2005 (30th) | Games of Love and Chance | L'Esquive | Abdellatif Kechiche and Ghalia Lacroix |
| 2005 (30th) | Department 36 | 36 Quai des Orfèvres | Franck Mancuso, Olivier Marchal and Julien Rappeneau |
| 2005 (30th) | Kings and Queen | Rois et reine | Roger Bohbot and Arnaud Desplechin |
| 2005 (30th) | Look at Me | Comme une image | Jean-Pierre Bacri and Agnès Jaoui |
| 2005 (30th) | A Very Long Engagement | Un long dimanche de fiançailles | Jean-Pierre Jeunet and Guillaume Laurant |