# César Awards

The César Award is the national film award of France. It is delivered in the Nuit des César ceremony and was first awarded in 1976. The nominations are selected by the members of twelve categories of filmmaking professionals and supported by the French Ministry of Culture. The nationally televised award ceremony is held in Paris each year in February. The exact location has changed over the years (in the Théâtre du Châtelet from 2002 to 2016). It is an initiative of the Académie des Arts et Techniques du Cinéma, which was founded in 1975.
The César Award is considered the highest film honor in France, the French film industry's equivalent to the Molière Award for theatre, and the Victoires de la Musique for music. In cinema, it is the French equivalent to the Academy Award.
The award was created by Georges Cravenne, who was also the creator of the Molière Award for theatre. The name of the award comes from the sculptor César Baldaccini (1921–1998) who designed it.
The 49th César Awards ceremony took place on 23 February 2024. Anatomy of a Fall, directed by Justine Triet, won the award for Best Film.

## History

In 1974, Georges Cravenne founded the Academy of Arts and Techniques of Cinema that was, from the outset, intended to reward the achievements and the most remarkable film artwork, to have a French equivalent to the American Oscars. The first César Awards – also known as the "Night of Caesar" – were held on 3 April 1976 under the chairmanship of Jean Gabin who watched the ceremony from the front row seated in a wheelchair a few months before his death. The name of the award comes from the sculptor César, designer of the trophy awarded to the winners in each category. It is also an homage to Raimu, the great French actor and performer in the Marseille trilogy of Marcel Pagnol, in which Raimu played the character of César.
The César Awards replaced the Étoile de cristal [fr], which was awarded from 1955 to 1975. Other prizes had been awarded to French cinema in the past. From 1934 to 1986, the Grand prix du cinéma français [fr], established by film pioneer Louis Lumière, was given to one film a year. In the 1950s, the Victoire du cinéma français [fr] was awarded each June. Lacking popular enthusiasm compared to the Étoile de cristal, this award was discontinued after 1964.
At the inaugural César Awards, 13 awards were distributed. Today, there are 22 (in nine subcategories). Categories added in recent years include Most Promising Actor/Actress (Meilleur espoir), Best Documentary (Meilleur documentaire) and Best Animated Film (Meilleur film d'animation), while awards honoring the best film poster and best producer have been dropped, as they are now given at a sister ceremony, the Prix Daniel Toscan du Plantier [fr]. In September 2021, the governing association of the César Awards voted to create two new awards that were introduced in the 47th ceremony: Best Visual Effects and Best Documentary Short Film.
Beginning with the 43rd César ceremony in 2018, a new special award, the César du public, is given to the French film with the most box office receipts during the previous year and the beginning of the current year. This award responds to the need to reward French comedy films, which remain the most popular genre in France.
During the 45th ceremony in 2020, Adèle Haenel, a French actress playing the main character in Portrait of a Lady on Fire, left the room when Roman Polanski's award for best director was announced in protest against the fact that notable sexual abusers in the film industry can receive awards when their victims are reduced to silence. Polanski was convicted of unlawful sexual intercourse with a 13-year-old in California in 1978, and has additionally been accused of other incidents of rape.

## The statue

The César statues are compressed sculptures of metal objects, designed in 1975 by the sculptor César Baldaccini, a friend of Georges Cravenne who gave them their name as a wink to the Oscars, the sound of the name being close to the film César by Pagnol. These forged pieces are made from polished natural bronze, unlike the Oscars which are plated in gold. The latter directly inspired the first AATC trophy in 1976, which was a reel of film encircling a silhouette. In 1977, before a mixed reception of actors, Baldaccini unveiled the current 8 by 8 cm compression, weighing 3.6 kg and cast in the Bocquel foundry in Normandy. The cost of a César has not been officially revealed, but is estimated at around 1,500 euros.

## Voting process

Voting for César Awards is conducted through two ballots by mail: the first to establish nominations per category (three to five, depending on the discipline), and the second to decide the winner.
Voters are professionals in the field, numbering about 4,000, divided into 12 colleges (actors, directors, writers, technicians, producers, distributors and international vendors, operators, agents artistic, technical industries, casting directors, press officers and members associates). The criteria for voting are: demonstrate a relatively consistent career in film and get a double sponsorship in the Académie des arts et techniques du cinéma. Nominees or winners of the previous editions are exempt from these formalities.
To aid voters, the Académie identifies each year films released in France and provides a guide to the works and eligible professionals. A DVD set of French or primarily French productions produced during the year is sent in December with the catalog of films to the electors. After the nominations are revealed, at the end of January, special screenings of the nominated films are shown at the Le Balzac cinema in Paris, near the Champs-Élysées. Each year, a special lunch (Déjeuner des nommés aux César du cinéma [fr]) for nominees is held at the famous Fouquet's restaurant on the Champs-Élysées, a few weeks before the ceremony.

## Categories
### Special awards

* Honorary Award – since 1976
* César des Césars – between 1985 and 1995
* Prix Daniel Toscan du Plantier – since 2008
* Trophée César & Techniques – since 2011
* Médaille d'Or – only in 2015
* César & Techniques Special Award – only between 2015 and 2017
* César & Techniques Innovation Award – since 2018
* César du public – since 2018

### Retired awards

* Best Film from the European Union (2002–2004)
* Best Poster (1986–1990)
* Best Producer (1995–1996)
* Best Writing (Adaptation or Original) (1976–2005)
* Best French Language Film (1984–1986)
* Best Short Film (1992–2021)

## Ceremonies

| Edition | Date | President(s) | Host(s) | Best Film |
| 1st César Awards | 3 April 1976 | Jean Gabin | Pierre Tchernia | Le Vieux Fusil |
| 2nd César Awards | 19 February 1977 | Lino Ventura | Pierre Tchernia | Monsieur Klein |
| 3rd César Awards | 4 February 1978 | Jeanne Moreau | Pierre Tchernia | Providence |
| 4th César Awards | 3 February 1979 | Charles Vanel | Pierre Tchernia and Jean-Claude Brialy | L'Argent des autres |
| 5th César Awards | 2 February 1980 | Jean Marais | Pierre Tchernia and Peter Ustinov | Tess |
| 6th César Awards | 31 January 1981 | Yves Montand | Pierre Tchernia | The Last Metro |
| 7th César Awards | 27 February 1982 | Orson Welles | Jacques Martin and Pierre Tchernia | Quest for Fire |
| 8th César Awards | 26 February 1983 | Catherine Deneuve | Jean-Claude Brialy | La Balance |
| 9th César Awards | 3 March 1984 | Gene Kelly | Léon Zitrone | (Tie) À nos amours & Le Bal |
| 10th César Awards | 3 February 1985 | Simone Signoret | Pierre Tchernia | My New Partner |
| 11th César Awards | 22 February 1986 | Madeleine Renaud and Jean-Louis Barrault | Michel Drucker | Three Men and a Cradle |
| 12th César Awards | 7 March 1987 | Sean Connery | Michel Drucker and Pierre Tchernia | Thérèse |
| 13th César Awards | 12 March 1988 | Miloš Forman | Michel Drucker and Jane Birkin | Au revoir les enfants |
| 14th César Awards | 4 March 1989 | Peter Ustinov | Pierre Tchernia | Camille Claudel |
| 15th César Awards | 4 March 1990 | Kirk Douglas | Ève Ruggiéri [fr] | Too Beautiful for You |
| 16th César Awards | 9 March 1991 | Sophia Loren | Richard Bohringer | Cyrano de Bergerac |
| 17th César Awards | 22 February 1992 | Michèle Morgan | Frédéric Mitterrand | Tous les Matins du Monde |
| 18th César Awards | 8 March 1993 | Marcello Mastroianni | Frédéric Mitterrand | Savage Nights |
| 19th César Awards | 26 February 1994 | Gérard Depardieu | Fabrice Luchini and Clémentine Célarié | Smoking / No Smoking |
| 20th César Awards | 25 February 1995 | Alain Delon | Jean-Claude Brialy and Pierre Tchernia | Wild Reeds |
| 21st César Awards | 3 February 1996 | Philippe Noiret | Antoine de Caunes | La Haine |
| 22nd César Awards | 8 February 1997 | Annie Girardot | Antoine de Caunes | Ridicule |
| 23rd César Awards | 28 February 1998 | Juliette Binoche | Antoine de Caunes | Same Old Song |
| 24th César Awards | 6 March 1999 | Isabelle Huppert | Antoine de Caunes | The Dreamlife of Angels |
| 25th César Awards | 19 February 2000 | Alain Delon | Alain Chabat | Venus Beauty Institute |
| 26th César Awards | 24 February 2001 | Daniel Auteuil | Édouard Baer | The Taste of Others |
| 27th César Awards | 2 March 2002 | Nathalie Baye | Édouard Baer | Amélie |
| 28th César Awards | 22 February 2003 | — | Géraldine Pailhas | The Pianist |
| 29th César Awards | 21 February 2004 | Fanny Ardant | Gad Elmaleh | The Barbarian Invasions |
| 30th César Awards | 26 February 2005 | Isabelle Adjani | Gad Elmaleh | Games of Love and Chance |
| 31st César Awards | 25 February 2006 | Carole Bouquet | Valérie Lemercier | The Beat That My Heart Skipped |
| 32nd César Awards | 24 February 2007 | Claude Brasseur | Valérie Lemercier | Lady Chatterley |
| 33rd César Awards | 22 February 2008 | Jean Rochefort | Antoine de Caunes | The Secret of the Grain |
| 34th César Awards | 27 February 2009 | Charlotte Gainsbourg | Antoine de Caunes | Séraphine |
| 35th César Awards | 27 February 2010 | Marion Cotillard | Valérie Lemercier and Gad Elmaleh | A Prophet |
| 36th César Awards | 25 February 2011 | Jodie Foster | Antoine de Caunes | Of Gods and Men |
| 37th César Awards | 24 February 2012 | Guillaume Canet | Antoine de Caunes | The Artist |
| 38th César Awards | 22 February 2013 | Jamel Debbouze | Antoine de Caunes | Amour |
| 39th César Awards | 28 February 2014 | François Cluzet | Cécile de France | Me, Myself and Mum |
| 40th César Awards | 20 February 2015 | Dany Boon | Édouard Baer | Timbuktu |
| 41st César Awards | 26 February 2016 | Claude Lelouch | Florence Foresti | Fatima |
| 42nd César Awards | 24 February 2017 | — | Jérôme Commandeur | Elle |
| 43rd César Awards | 2 March 2018 | Vanessa Paradis | Manu Payet | BPM (Beats per Minute) |
| 44th César Awards | 22 February 2019 | Kristin Scott Thomas | Kad Merad | Custody |
| 45th César Awards | 28 February 2020 | Sandrine Kiberlain | Florence Foresti | Les Misérables |
| 46th César Awards | 12 March 2021 | Roschdy Zem | Marina Foïs | Bye Bye Morons |
| 47th César Awards | 25 February 2022 | Danièle Thompson | Antoine de Caunes | Lost Illusions |
| 48th César Awards | 24 February 2023 | Tahar Rahim | Emmanuelle Devos, Léa Drucker, Eye Haïdara, Leïla Bekhti, Jérôme Commandeur, Ahmed Sylla, Jamel Debbouze, Alex Lutz and Raphaël Personnaz | The Night of the 12th |
| 49th César Awards | 23 February 2024 | Valérie Lemercier | Ariane Ascaride, Bérénice Bejo, Dali Benssalah, Juliette Binoche, Dany Boon, Bastien Bouillon, Audrey Diwan, Ana Girardot, Diane Kruger, Benoît Magimel, Paul Mirabel, Nadia Tereszkiewicz and Jean-Pascal Zadi | Anatomy of a Fall |

## Overall
### Films that received five or more César Awards

| Film | Year | Noms. | Wins |
| Cyrano de Bergerac | 1990 | 13 | 10 |
| The Last Metro | 1980 | 12 | 10 |
| A Prophet | 2009 | 13 | 9 |
| The Beat That My Heart Skipped | 2005 | 10 | 8 |
| Lost Illusions | 2022 | 15 | 7 |
| Same Old Song | 1997 | 12 | 7 |
| Emilia Pérez | 2024 | 12 | 7 |
| All the World's Mornings | 1991 | 11 | 7 |
| The Pianist | 2002 | 10 | 7 |
| Goodbye, Children | 1987 | 9 | 7 |
| Séraphine | 2008 | 9 | 7 |
| Providence | 1977 | 8 | 7 |
| Timbuktu | 2015 | 8 | 7 |
| The Artist | 2012 | 10 | 6 |
| Thérèse | 1986 | 10 | 6 |
| Camille Claudel | 1988 | 12 | 5 |
| Queen Margot | 1994 | 12 | 5 |
| A Very Long Engagement | 2004 | 12 | 5 |
| Annette | 2022 | 11 | 5 |
| Too Beautiful For You | 1989 | 11 | 5 |
| La Vie en Rose | 2007 | 11 | 5 |
| Amour | 2013 | 10 | 5 |
| Me, Myself and Mum | 2014 | 10 | 5 |
| Lady Chatterley | 2007 | 9 | 5 |
| Smoking/No Smoking | 1993 | 9 | 5 |

### Films that received 10 or more César Award nominations

| Film | Year | Noms. | Wins |
| Lost Illusions | 2022 | 15 | 7 |
| Amélie | 2001 | 13 | 4 |
| Cyrano de Bergerac | 1990 | 13 | 10 |
| Subway | 1985 | 13 | 3 |
| A Prophet | 2009 | 13 | 9 |
| Polisse | 2012 | 13 | 2 |
| Camille redouble | 2013 | 13 | 0 |
| See You Up There | 2018 | 13 | 5 |
| BPM (Beats per Minute) | 2018 | 13 | 6 |
| 8 Women | 2002 | 12 | 0 |
| The Last Metro | 1980 | 12 | 10 |
| Tchao Pantin | 1984 | 12 | 5 |
| Camille Claudel | 1988 | 12 | 5 |
| Queen Margot | 1994 | 12 | 5 |
| Ridicule | 1996 | 12 | 4 |
| Same Old Song | 1997 | 12 | 7 |
| A Very Long Engagement | 2004 | 12 | 5 |
| The Minister | 2012 | 12 | 3 |
| An Officer and a Spy | 2020 | 12 | 3 |
| Les Misérables | 2020 | 12 | 4 |
| Emilia Pérez | 2025 | 12 | 7 |
| All the World's Mornings | 1991 | 11 | 7 |
| Nelly and Mr. Arnaud | 1995 | 11 | 2 |
| A Secret | 2007 | 11 | 1 |
| À l'origine | 2009 | 11 | 1 |
| Of Gods and Men | 2010 | 11 | 3 |
| Those Who Love Me Can Take the Train | 1998 | 11 | 3 |
| Too Beautiful for You | 1989 | 11 | 5 |
| La Vie en Rose | 2007 | 11 | 5 |
| Marguerite | 2016 | 11 | 4 |
| Elle | 2017 | 11 | 2 |
| Frantz | 2017 | 11 | 1 |
| My Golden Days | 2016 | 11 | 1 |
| La Belle Époque | 2020 | 11 | 3 |
| Annette | 2022 | 11 | 5 |
| Public Enemy Number One | 2008 | 10 | 3 |
| The Beat That My Heart Skipped | 2005 | 10 | 8 |
| Clean Up | 1981 | 10 | 0 |
| The Pianist | 2002 | 10 | 7 |
| Thérèse | 1986 | 10 | 6 |
| Welcome | 2009 | 10 | 0 |
| The Artist | 2012 | 10 | 6 |
| Farewell, My Queen | 2013 | 10 | 3 |
| Amour | 2013 | 10 | 5 |
| Me, Myself and Mum | 2014 | 10 | 5 |
| Custody | 2019 | 10 | 4 |
| Saint Laurent | 2015 | 10 | 1 |
| Sink or Swim | 2019 | 10 | 1 |
| C'est la vie! | 2018 | 10 | 0 |
| Portrait of a Lady on Fire | 2020 | 10 | 1 |
| Aline | 2022 | 10 | 1 |

### Directors with two or more awards

| Director | Noms. | Wins. |
| Jacques Audiard | 10 | 7 |
| Roman Polanski | 5 | 5 |
| Alain Resnais | 8 | 2 |
| Bertrand Tavernier | 7 | 2 |
| Jean-Jacques Annaud | 4 | 2 |
| Claude Sautet | 4 | 2 |
| Abdellatif Kechiche | 3 | 2 |

### Actors with 7 or more nominations

| Actor/Actress | Noms. | Wins |
| Gérard Depardieu | 17 | 2 |
| Isabelle Huppert | 16 | 2 |
| Daniel Auteuil | 14 | 2 |
| Catherine Deneuve | 14 | 2 |
| Karin Viard | 13 | 3 |
| Juliette Binoche | 11 | 1 |
| Fabrice Luchini | 11 | 1 |
| Miou-Miou | 11 | 1 |
| François Cluzet | 11 | 1 |
| Nathalie Baye | 10 | 4 |
| Catherine Frot | 10 | 2 |
| Isabelle Adjani | 9 | 5 |
| Dominique Blanc | 9 | 4 |
| Sandrine Kiberlain | 9 | 2 |
| Michel Serrault | 8 | 3 |
| André Dussollier | 8 | 3 |
| Fanny Ardant | 8 | 2 |
| Marion Cotillard | 8 | 2 |
| Jean-Hugues Anglade | 8 | 1 |
| Emmanuelle Béart | 8 | 1 |
| Noémie Lvovsky | 8 | 0 |
| Sandrine Bonnaire | 7 | 2 |
| Charlotte Gainsbourg | 7 | 2 |
| Adèle Haenel | 7 | 2 |
| Vincent Cassel | 7 | 1 |
| Louis Garrel | 7 | 1 |
| Virginie Efira | 7 | 1 |
| Jean-Pierre Marielle | 7 | 0 |
| Lambert Wilson | 7 | 0 |
| Romain Duris | 7 | 0 |

### "Big Five" winners and nominees
#### Winners

* The Last Metro (1980)
* Best Film: François Truffaut
* Best Director: François Truffaut
* Best Actor: Gérard Depardieu
* Best Actress: Catherine Deneuve
* Best Writing: Suzanne Schiffman and François Truffaut
* Amour (2013)
* Best Film: Michael Haneke & Margaret Ménégoz
* Best Director: Michael Haneke
* Best Actor: Jean-Louis Trintignant
* Best Actress: Emmanuelle Riva
* Best Writing: Michael Haneke

#### Nominees

Four awards won
* Smoking/No Smoking (1993): Best Actress (Sabine Azéma)
* Too Beautiful for You (1989): Best Actor (Gérard Depardieu)
Three awards won
* Cyrano de Bergerac (1990): Best Actress (Anne Brochet) and Writing (Jean-Claude Carrière and Jean-Paul Rappeneau)
* Same Old Song (1997): Best Actress (Sabine Azéma) and Director (Alain Resnais)
* The Artist (2011): Best Actor (Jean Dujardin) and Writing (Michel Hazanavicius)
* Custody (2017): Best Actor (Denis Ménochet) and Director (Xavier Legrand)

### Most acting wins and nominations for a film

| Total | Wins | Film | Actors |
| 7 | 1 | Polisse | Actress: Marina Foïs and Karin Viard Supporting Actor: Nicolas Duvauchelle, JoeyStarr and Frédéric Pierrot Supporting Actress: Karole Rocher Promising Actress Naidra Ayadi (won) |
| 7 | 0 | Camille redouble | Actress: Noémie Lvovsky Supporting Actor: Samir Guesmi and Michel Vuillermoz Supporting Actress: Judith Chemla and Yolande Moreau Promising Actress Julia Faure and India Hair |
| 5 | 3 | Same Old Song | Actor: André Dussollier (won) Actress: Sabine Azéma Supporting Actor: Jean-Pierre Bacri (won) Supporting Actress: Agnès Jaoui (won) and Lambert Wilson |
| 4 | 3 | Queen Margot | Actress: Isabelle Adjani (won) Supporting Actor: Jean-Hugues Anglade (won) Supporting Actress: Dominique Blanc and Virna Lisi (won) |
| 4 | 2 | The Last Metro | Actor: Gérard Depardieu (won) Actress: Catherine Deneuve (won) Supporting Actor: Heinz Bennent Supporting Actress: Andréa Ferréol |
| 4 | 1 | Elle | Actress: Isabelle Huppert (won) Supporting Actor: Laurent Lafitte Supporting Actress: Anne Consigny Promising Actor: Jonas Bloquet |
| 4 | 1 | La Famille Bélier | Actor: François Damiens Actress: Karin Viard Supporting Actor: Éric Elmosnino Promising Actress: Louane Emera (won) |
| 4 | 1 | Too Beautiful for You | Actor: Gérard Depardieu Actress: Josiane Balasko and Carole Bouquet (won) Supporting Actor: Roland Blanche |
| 4 | 0 | Amélie | Actress: Audrey Tautou Supporting Actor: Jamel Debbouze and Rufus Supporting Actress: Isabelle Nanty |
| 3 | 2 | Amour | Actor: Jean-Louis Trintignant (won) Actress: Emmanuelle Riva (won) Supporting Actress: Isabelle Huppert |
| 3 | 2 | What's in a Name | Actor: Patrick Bruel Supporting Actor: Guillaume de Tonquédec (won) Supporting Actress: Valérie Benguigui (won) |
| 3 | 1 | Camille Claudel | Actor: Gérard Depardieu Actress: Isabelle Adjani (won) Supporting Actor: Alain Cuny |
| 3 | 1 | Hippocrate | Actor: Vincent Lacoste Supporting Actor: Reda Kateb (won) Supporting Actress: Marianne Denicourt |
| 3 | 1 | It's Only the End of the World | Actor: Gaspard Ulliel (won) Supporting Actor: Vincent Cassel Supporting Actress: Nathalie Baye |
| 3 | 1 | La Vie en rose | Actress: Marion Cotillard (won) Supporting actor: Pascal Greggory Supporting Actress: Sylvie Testud |
| 3 | 1 | Yves Saint Laurent | Actor: Pierre Niney (won) Supporting Actor: Guillaume Gallienne Supporting Actress: Charlotte Le Bon |
| 3 | 0 | Ridicule | Actor: Charles Berling Supporting Actor: Bernard Giraudeau and Jean Rochefort |
| 3 | 0 | Saint Laurent | Actor: Gaspard Ulliel Supporting Actor: Louis Garrel and Jérémie Renier |