# 21st César Awards

The 21st César Awards ceremony, presented by the Académie des Arts et Techniques du Cinéma, honoured the best French films of 1995 and took place on 3 February 1996 at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris. The ceremony was chaired by Philippe Noiret and hosted by Antoine de Caunes. La Haine won the award for Best Film.

## Winners and nominees

| Best Film La Haine Happiness Is in the Field La Cérémonie French Twist The Horseman on the Roof Nelly and Mr. Arnaud | Best Director Claude Sautet – Nelly and Mr. Arnaud Étienne Chatiliez – Happiness Is in the Field Claude Chabrol – La Cérémonie Josiane Balasko – French Twist Mathieu Kassovitz – La Haine Jean-Paul Rappeneau – The Horseman on the Roof |
| Best Actor Michel Serrault – Nelly and Mr. Arnaud François Cluzet – The Apprentices Jean-Louis Trintignant – Fiesta Alain Chabat – French Twist Vincent Cassel – La Haine | Best Actress Isabelle Huppert – La Cérémonie Sabine Azéma – Happiness Is in the Field Sandrine Bonnaire – La Cérémonie Juliette Binoche – The Horseman on the Roof Emmanuelle Béart – Nelly and Mr. Arnaud |
| Best Supporting Actor Eddy Mitchell – Happiness Is in the Field Jean-Pierre Cassel – La Cérémonie Ticky Holgado – French Twist Jean-Hugues Anglade – Nelly and Mr. Arnaud Michael Lonsdale – Nelly and Mr. Arnaud | Best Supporting Actress Annie Girardot – Les Misérables Carmen Maura – Happiness Is in the Field Jacqueline Bisset – La Cérémonie Claire Nadeau – Nelly and Mr. Arnaud Clotilde Courau – Élisa |
| Most Promising Actor Guillaume Depardieu – The Apprentices Olivier Sitruk – The Bait Vincent Cassel – La Haine Hubert Koundé – La Haine Saïd Taghmaoui – La Haine | Most Promising Actress Sandrine Kiberlain – En avoir (ou pas) Marie Gillain – The Bait Virginie Ledoyen – A Single Girl Isabelle Carré – The Horseman on the Roof Clotilde Courau – Élisa |
| Best Writing French Twist – Telsche Boorman and Josiane Balasko Happiness Is in the Field – Florence Quentin La Cérémonie – Caroline Eliacheff and Claude Chabrol La Haine – Mathieu Kassovitz Nelly and Mr. Arnaud – Jacques Fieschi and Claude Sautet | Best First Feature Film The Three Brothers En avoir (ou pas) Pigalle Rosine Inner City |
| Best Cinematography Thierry Arbogast – The Horseman on the Roof Darius Khondji – The City of Lost Children Pierre Aïm – La Haine | Best Editing Mathieu Kassovitz and Scott Stevenson – La Haine Noëlle Boisson – The Horseman on the Roof Jacqueline Thiédot – Nelly and Mr. Arnaud |
| Best Sound Pierre Gamet, Jean Goudier and Dominique Hennequin – The Horseman on the Roof Dominique Dalmasso and Vincent Tulli – La Haine Pierre Lenoir and Jean-Paul Loublier – Nelly and Mr. Arnaud | Best Original Music Zbigniew Preisner, Serge Gainsbourg and Michel Colombier – Élisa Angelo Badalamenti – The City of Lost Children Jean-Claude Petit – The Horseman on the Roof Philippe Sarde – Nelly and Mr. Arnaud |
| Best Costume Design Christian Gasc – Madame Butterfly Jean-Paul Gaultier – The City of Lost Children Franca Squarciapino – The Horseman on the Roof | Best Production Design Jean Rabasse – The City of Lost Children Jacques Rouxel, Ezio Frigerio and Christian Marti – The Horseman on the Roof Michèle Abbé-Vannier – Madame Butterfly |
| Best Short Film The Monk and the Fish Le Bus Roland Corps inflammables | Best Foreign Film Land and Freedom The Bridges of Madison County Smoke Underground The Usual Suspects |
| Best Producer Christophe Rossignon Claude Berri René Cleitman Charles Gassot Alain Terzian |
| Honorary César Lauren Bacall Henri Verneuil ||