The legal drama entered the race as the favorite and finished as the clear winner: “Anatomy of a Case” triumphed at the French César Film Awards. The film by French director Justine Triet went home with a total of six awards on Friday evening, including best director and best original screenplay. German actress Sandra Hülser won the best actress award for her performance in the film about a German writer suspected of murdering her husband.
She didn’t expect that, especially not as a German, she said in French in Paris. “On the set, language and origin were not an obstacle, but an opportunity.” It makes her happy and she wishes it were like that always and everywhere, the 45-year-old continued her acceptance speech with emotion. This meant that Hülser won against France’s screen star Marion Cotillard, who was competing for the prize for her role in “Little Girl Bleu”.
The César, named after the sculptor César Baldaccini, is the French equivalent of the Oscar film awards. It has been awarded since 1976.
The German actress was also nominated for an Oscar for her leading role in “Anatomy of a Case”. The Oscars will be awarded on March 10th in Hollywood. The film, which won the Palme d’Or at Cannes 2023, is competing in five categories, including the categories of best film and best director. The award-winning British-American director Christopher Nolan received the honorary César. It was an unlikely honor for him, he said. He has always been impressed by France’s love of cinema.
The awarding of the French film awards took place against the backdrop of new MeToo scandals. At the beginning of February, actress Judith Godrèche filed a lawsuit against directors Benoît Jacquot and Jacques Doillon for sexual abuse of minors. The incidents are said to have occurred between 1986 and 1992. The 51-year-old spoke at the César Gala. In a moving speech, she warned against the excesses of cinema, an art that she said sometimes provided cover for the “illegal” trade in young girls.
Just earlier this year, France was rocked by the misogynistic comments and recent sexual assault lawsuits against Gérard Depardieu.