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Each year, the French pay homage to their film industry in a televised
awards event known as “The Césars”. It is the equivalent
of the Hollywood Academy Awards (Oscars) in America, the difference
being that the focus is on French and French language cinema, although
there is a special award for a non-francophone film. The event takes place, usually in
February, at the Théatre du Châtelet in Paris.
The ceremony was created by the Académie des Arts et Techniques
du Cinéma in 1975. The first event took place on 3rd April
1976, under the presidency of iconic actor Jean Gabin. The name
of the award comes from the avant-garde sculptor César
Baldaccini, who designed the famous gold trophy.
Here are the films which have won the award in the coveted "Best French Film"
category. Be prepared for a few surprises...
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2007
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A superlative screen adaptation of the little-known second version
of D.H. Lawrence's controversial Lady Chatterley novel -
a work of sensual poetry and great emotional sensitivity.
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2006
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Jacques Audiard's latest noir thriller-drama features a
stunning performance from Romain Duris and won no less than 8 Cesars -
arguably the best French film of 2005.
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2005
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An urban love story on a Parisian housing estate, in which the hero, a young Arab,
has to take a part in a Marivaux plan to win the girl he loves...
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2004
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A moving portrayal of a son moving Heaven and Earth to make his dying father's last
few days as bearable as possible. The long awaited sequel to Denys Arcand's earlier
great film, Le Déclin de l'empire américain.
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2003
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Based on a true story by the pianist Wladyslaw Szpilman, this stunningly realised
wartime drama from Roman Polanski is a brutal, compelling work, easily
one of the director's finest achievements.
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2002
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This fairytale Parisian romance was a worldwide success, thanks to its surreal
comic touches, distinctive photography and, most of all,
the enchanting Audrey Tautou. A magical film.
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2001
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This sophisticated romantic comedy was a hit in France and features
Jean-Pierre Bacri playing a businessman struggling to acquire a
taste for art, with hilarious consequences.
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2000
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Three women working in a posh beauty clinic lead troubled love
lives in this popular multi-layered comedy drama.
Nathalie Baye gives a sublime performance as a middle-aged woman
who is unable to cope with love.
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1999
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This poignant slice of life drama featuring two vulnerable young
women trapped in their own dream world won critical acclaim for
its director Erick Zonca and his two lead actors, Elodie Bouchez and
Natacha Régnier.
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1998
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Inspired by the musical dramas of Dennis Potter, this musical comedy
is one of Alain Resnais' most engaging films - witty, intense and
marvellously ironic.
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1997
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This lavish period drama set in the court of Versailles features a stunning
top-notch cast which includes Charles Berling annd Fanny Ardant.
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1996
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One of the most contraversial and talked about films of the 1990s,
La Haine paints a disturbing picture of racial intolerance and exclusion.
The harsh editing and unsettlingly fluid photography give the
film a rare dramatic intensity.
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1995
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A charming depiction of adolescence set in a boarding school in
Provence during the Algerian war. Beautifully filmed and acted,
this remains one of Téchiné's best films to date.
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Smoking / No Smoking
Alain Resnais |
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1994
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1993
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This intensely personal film tackles the whole
issue of AIDS and the hedonistic youth culture with dazzling, indeed
shocking, originality and honesty. The film is based on
Cyril Collard’s 1989 novel, which is a near-autobiographical account
of Collard’s own life after he discovered he was HIV positive.
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1992
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A sombre portrait of the celebrated court musician and composer Marin Marais,
featuring two Depardieus (Gérard and son Guillaume) in the same role.
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1991
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Gérard Depardieu gives a towering performance as the famous
swordmaster and poet Cyrano de Bergerac in this lavish swash-buckling
film version of Edmond Rostand's play.
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1990
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A man dumps his beautiful wife (Carole Bouquet) for his dowdy secretary
(Josiane Balasko). By flaunting conventions, Bertrand Blier gives us a film with
surprising depth and meaning, in which he is marvellously served by
a sublime cast.
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1989
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A dark, compelling portrait of the artist Camille Claudel, student and lover
to the great sculptor Rodin. Features strong performances from Gérard Depardieu and
Isabelle Adjani.
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1988
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Drawing on his own experiences as a child, Louis Malle paints
this tender and highly poignant portrayal of childhood at the
time of the Nazi occupation of France.
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1987
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1986
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The original "3 Men and a Baby" was this hilarious satire
on fatherhood and modern living. It proved to be a staggering
box office success in France.
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1985
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Philippe Noiret and Thierry Lhermitte play two crooked
law enforcers in this outrageous satire on police corruption. Stylish and
witty, this cult classic is one of Claude Zidi's best films.
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1984
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1983
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Strong acting performances and well choreographed action scenes makes this
one of the best and most realistic French crime thrillers of the 1980s.
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1981
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An emotionally charged drama in which the experiences of Nazi
occupied France are seen through the lives of a closely knit
community of theatre personnel. Depardieu and Deneuve are united on
screen for the first time.
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1980
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1978
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Absorbing performances from Dirk Bogarde and John Gielgud
make this characteristically baffling melange of drama and fantasy
an enjoyable and slightly unsettling cinematic experience. One of Alain
Resnais' most intriguing and haunting films.
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1977
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A war-time drama in which an
unscrupulous art dealer is drawn into a Kafkaesque nightmare.
Made as a stylish policier, with a fine performance from Alain Delon,
this is a compelling film.
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1976
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