French cinema met at the Olympia in Paris on Friday February 24 for the 48th Cesar ceremony.

"La Nuit du 12" won six prizes, including a rare double: César for best film and best director for Dominik Moll.

"I have a thought for the real Clara, the real victim of the case that gave rise to the film. Her name was Maud," he said when receiving his award.

The two main actors Bastien Bouillon and Bouli Lanners each won a César (best male hope and best male supporting role) for their role as investigators jostled by this investigation which is turning into an obsession.

Inspired by a news item, "La Nuit du 12" delivers a gallery of suspects who do not even realize the misogyny of their words, and also attacks machismo in the police. 

"The filmmakers had to seize the story" on violence against women, launched one of the film's producers, Caroline Benjo.

"Long live the women and long live the men who join their fight," she added in a strong speech, heard tears in her eyes by actress Judith Chemla, who publicly denounced the domestic violence she suffered. 

The complete winners of this 48th edition of the Césars!

🏆#Caesar2023 pic.twitter.com/BADZoXIDia

– CANAL+ (@canalplus) February 24, 2023

"We will not be passing through, nor a fad!"

This signal was all the more expected as the nominations had even more than in previous years left the directors aside: none nominated for best director, only one for best film (Valéria Bruni Tedeschi). 

Several laureates took advantage of their thanks to bring them out of oblivion.

Like the Franco-Belgian actress Virginie Efira, César for best actress for "Revoir Paris", who wanted to dedicate this prize to her director Alice Winocour, and "extend it" to others, including Rebecca Zlotowski ("Les other people's children", absent from the nominations). 

"We will not be passing through, nor a fad!", Promised filmmaker Alice Diop, César for best first film for "Saint Omer".

To this day, Tonie Marshall remains the only woman to have received a César for best director with "Venus Beauty (institute)" (2000). 

Noémie Merlant had a thought for all those “who should have been celebrated”.

"I miss them," said the actress, César for Best Supporting Actress for "The Innocent".

This Louis Garrel film, which was favorite with 11 nominations, is the big loser of the evening, with only one other trophy, for its screenplay. 

On the male performer side, Benoît Magimel lived "a pretty crazy moment" by winning the César for best actor for the second year in a row, with "Pacification - Torment on the islands".

Never seen. 

The Caesars have not forgotten Ukraine, mentioned by Louis Garrel (this country "has been experiencing a tragedy for a year now because of this crazy and criminal war"), nor Iran, by Golshifteh Farahani ("Choose this regime or we, the people of Iran"). 

A climate activist, supporting the Last Renovation collective and wearing a "We have 761 days left" T-shirt (we have 761 days left) briefly interrupted the start of the ceremony, before leaving.

This sequence was not broadcast on Canal+, broadcaster of the Césars.

Nina, 24, supporting #DerniereRenovation:



“I never thought one day I would end up interrupting the Cesar ceremony to assert my right to life, and protect all those who are close to my heart.

[1] pic.twitter.com/8rDSUQSrlH

— Last Renovation (@derniere_renov) February 24, 2023

With AFP

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