View source for César Awards

{{Short description|Annual French film awards}}
{{For|the hotel awards|César Award (hotels)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2017}}
{{Infobox award
| name        = César Awards
| current_awards = 50th César Awards
| image       = César Awards logo.svg
| caption     = The César Award logo
| awarded_for = Achievements in [[French cinema]]
| presenter   = {{Lang|fr|[[Académie des Arts et Techniques du Cinéma]]|italic=no}}
| country     = [[France]]
| year        = {{Start date and age|1976|4|3}}
| website     = [http://www.academie-cinema.org/ academie-cinema.org]
}}

The '''César Award'''{{efn|As indicated on the official website,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.academie-cinema.org/les-cesar-comment-ca-marche/|title=Les César, comment ça marche ?|website=academie-cinema.org|access-date=14 December 2024|lang=fr}}</ref> the name César is considered a proper noun. In French, proper nouns are invariable and never take a plural 's'.<ref>{{cite web|last=Rangin|first=Magali|url=https://www.bfmtv.com/people/cinema/pourquoi-les-cesar-s-appellent-les-cesar-et-ne-prennent-pas-de-s_AN-202002280003.html|title=Pourquoi les César s'appellent les César (et ne prennent pas de s)|website=[[BFM TV]]|date=28 February 2020|lang=fr}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Pallaruelo|first=Olivier|url=https://www.allocine.fr/article/fichearticle_gen_carticle=18707182.html|title=César 2022 : connaissez-vous la petite histoire derrière la création de la fameuse récompense ?|website=[[Allociné]]|date=22 February 2022|lang=fr}}</ref>}} ({{IPA|fr|sezaʁ|lang}}) is the national film award of [[Cinema of France|France]]. It is delivered in the ''{{Lang|fr|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 [[Ministry of Culture (France)|French Ministry of Culture]].<ref>[http://www.academie-cinema.org/en/ceremony/cesar-award-ceremony.html "The César Ceremony"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203082621/http://www.academie-cinema.org/en/ceremony/cesar-award-ceremony.html |date=3 December 2013 }}, Académie des arts et techniques du cinéma</ref> 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 {{Lang|fr|[[Académie des Arts et Techniques du Cinéma]]|italic=no}}, 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 Awards]]. 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 [[sculpture|sculptor]] [[César Baldaccini]] (1921–1998) who designed it.

The [[50th César Awards]] ceremony took place on 28 February 2025. ''[[Emilia Pérez]]'', directed by [[Jacques Audiard]], won the award for Best Film.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Keslassy |first=Elsa |date=2025-02-28 |title=Jacques Audiard’s ‘Emilia Perez’ Wins Best Film at France’s 2025 Cesar Awards (Full Winners List) |url=https://variety.com/2025/film/awards/cesar-awards-winners-list-france-1236323670/ |access-date=2025-03-01 |website=Variety |language=en-US}}</ref>

==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.
[[File:Josiane Balasko Daniel Auteuil Catherine Deneuve Karin Viard 2000.jpg|thumb|300px|[[Josiane Balasko]], [[Daniel Auteuil]], [[Catherine Deneuve]], and [[Karin Viard]] at the [[25th César Awards|2000 César Award Ceremony]]]]
The César Awards replaced the {{Interlanguage link|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 {{Interlanguage link|Grand prix du cinéma français|fr}}, established by film pioneer [[Louis Lumière]], was given to one film a year. In the 1950s, the {{Interlanguage link|Victoire du cinéma français|fr}} was awarded each June. Lacking popular enthusiasm compared to the Étoile de cristal, this award was discontinued after 1964.{{Citation needed|date=August 2022}}

At the inaugural César Awards, 13 awards were distributed. Today, there are 22 (in nine subcategories). Categories added in recent years include [[César Award for Most Promising Actor|Most Promising Actor]]/[[César Award for Most Promising Actress|Actress]] (''Meilleur espoir''), [[César Award for Best Documentary Film|Best Documentary]] (''Meilleur documentaire'') and [[César Award for Best Animated Film|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 {{Interlanguage link|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: [[César Award for Best Visual Effects|Best Visual Effects]] and [[César Award for Best Documentary Short Film|Best Documentary Short Film]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.academie-cinema.org/le-vote/creation-de-deux-nouveaux-cesar/|title=Création de deux nouveaux César|date=23 September 2021|publisher=[[Académie des César]]|language=fr|access-date=25 January 2024}}</ref>

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.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Edito: quand nos César font Boon » Le Blog d'Ecran Noir |url=http://archives.ecrannoir.fr/blog/blog/2018/02/01/edito-quand-nos-cesar-font-boon/ |access-date=2022-09-14 |language=fr-FR |archive-date=14 September 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220914071801/http://archives.ecrannoir.fr/blog/blog/2018/02/01/edito-quand-nos-cesar-font-boon/ |url-status=live }}</ref> This award responds to the need to reward French comedy films, which remain the most popular genre in France.<ref>{{Citation |title=Références bibliographiques |date=2018-03-14 |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.3917/arco.hamus.2018.01.0271 |work=Les effets spéciaux au cinéma |pages=271–274 |publisher=Armand Colin |doi=10.3917/arco.hamus.2018.01.0271 |isbn=9782200619824 |access-date=2022-09-14|url-access=subscription }}</ref><ref>{{Citation|language=fr|title=Les César jouent la carte grand public|work=LExpress.fr|date=2018-01-31|url=https://www.lexpress.fr/actualites/1/culture/les-cesar-jouent-la-carte-grand-public_1981065.html|access-date=2018-02-09|archive-date=10 February 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180210180049/https://www.lexpress.fr/actualites/1/culture/les-cesar-jouent-la-carte-grand-public_1981065.html|url-status=live}}.</ref><ref name="r1">{{Citation|title=Les César annoncent la création d'un prix du public|work=leparisien.fr|date=2018-01-31|url=http://www.leparisien.fr/culture-loisirs/cinema/les-cesar-annoncent-la-creation-d-un-prix-du-public-31-01-2018-7532769.php|access-date=2018-01-31|archive-date=5 October 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221005161855/https://www.leparisien.fr/culture-loisirs/cinema/les-cesar-annoncent-la-creation-d-un-prix-du-public-31-01-2018-7532769.php|url-status=live}}.</ref>

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<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.fr/entry/cesar-2020-claire-denis-na-pas-hesite-avant-de-remettre-le-prix-a-roman-polanski_fr_5e5b9f81c5b6010221123e1b|title=Claire Denis n'a pas hésité avant de remettre le César à Roman Polanski|date=2020-03-01|website=Le Huffington Post|language=fr|access-date=2020-03-01|archive-date=1 March 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200301162655/https://www.huffingtonpost.fr/entry/cesar-2020-claire-denis-na-pas-hesite-avant-de-remettre-le-prix-a-roman-polanski_fr_5e5b9f81c5b6010221123e1b|url-status=live}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Peltier|first=Elian|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/24/movies/adele-haenel-france-metoo.html|title=Adèle Haenel: France 'Missed the Boat' on #MeToo|date=2020-02-24|work=The New York Times|access-date=2020-03-01|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=14 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210514230919/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/24/movies/adele-haenel-france-metoo.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://awardswatch.com/what-happened-at-the-cesar-awards-was-a-setup-for-silence/|title=What Happened at the César Awards Was a Setup For Silence|date=2020-02-29|website=AwardsWatch|language=en-US|access-date=2020-03-01|archive-date=20 April 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200420225714/https://awardswatch.com/what-happened-at-the-cesar-awards-was-a-setup-for-silence/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.lejsl.com/france-monde/2020/02/28/le-tapis-rouge-sous-les-fumigenes-et-lacrymos|title=César. César pour Polanski, Adèle Haenel quitte la cérémonie|website=www.lejsl.com|language=FR-fr|access-date=2020-03-01|archive-date=1 March 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200301180632/https://www.lejsl.com/france-monde/2020/02/28/le-tapis-rouge-sous-les-fumigenes-et-lacrymos|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://madame.lefigaro.fr/societe/on-est-un-peu-tendues-celine-sciamma-et-adele-haenel-sexpriment-sur-la-polemique-roman-polanski-aux-cesar-280220-180093|title="Bravo la pédophilie" : le coup de colère d'Adèle Haenel après la victoire de Roman Polanski aux César|work=Madame Figaro|access-date=2020-03-01|language=fr-FR|archive-date=29 February 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200229135544/https://madame.lefigaro.fr/societe/on-est-un-peu-tendues-celine-sciamma-et-adele-haenel-sexpriment-sur-la-polemique-roman-polanski-aux-cesar-280220-180093|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.liberation.fr/direct/element/adele-haenel-ils-voulaient-separer-lhomme-de-lartiste-ils-separent-aujourdhui-les-artistes-du-monde_109882/|title=Adele Haenel : "Ils voulaient séparer l'homme de l'artiste, ils séparent aujourd'hui les artistes du monde"|website=Libération.fr|language=fr|access-date=2020-03-01|archive-date=1 March 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200301175106/https://www.liberation.fr/direct/element/adele-haenel-ils-voulaient-separer-lhomme-de-lartiste-ils-separent-aujourdhui-les-artistes-du-monde_109882/|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.lesinrocks.com/2020/02/29/cinema/actualite-cinema/cesar-a-lannonce-de-la-victoire-de-polanski-adele-haenel-quitte-la-salle/|title=César : A l'annonce de la victoire de Polanski, Adèle Haenel quitte la salle|website=Les Inrocks|language=fr-FR|access-date=2020-03-01|archive-date=1 March 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200301053039/https://www.lesinrocks.com/2020/02/29/cinema/actualite-cinema/cesar-a-lannonce-de-la-victoire-de-polanski-adele-haenel-quitte-la-salle/|url-status=live}}</ref>

==The statue==
[[File:Adèle Haenel Césars 2014.jpg|upright|thumb|[[Adèle Haenel]] receiving a César award in 2014]]

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.<ref>{{cite book|title=Dictionnaire de la télévision française|publisher=Nouveau Monde éditions|date=2013|page=67|author=Yannick Dehée, Agnès Chauveau}}.</ref> These forged pieces are made from polished natural bronze, unlike the [[Academy Awards|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.<ref>(image) [https://web.archive.org/web/20160918083414/http://media.gettyimages.com/photos/portrait-of-french-sculptor-cesar-baldaccini-as-he-poses-with-one-of-picture-id51353525?s=594x594 Le sculpteur César posant avec la première version du trophée, uniquement remis en 1976]</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Le tour du monde du cinéma français|publisher=Dixit|date=1995|page=185|author=Robert Cravenne}}.</ref> In 1977, before a mixed reception of actors, Baldaccini unveiled the current 8 by 8&nbsp;cm compression, weighing 3.6&nbsp;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 ({{Interlanguage link|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.{{citation needed|date=April 2017}}

==Categories==
===Merit awards===
{{col-begin}}
{{col-break}}
* [[César Award for Best Film|Best Film]]
* [[César Award for Best Director|Best Director]]
* [[César Award for Best Actor|Best Actor]]
* [[César Award for Best Actress|Best Actress]]
* [[César Award for Best Supporting Actor|Best Supporting Actor]]
* [[César Award for Best Supporting Actress|Best Supporting Actress]]
* [[César Award for Best Male Revelation|Best Male Revelation]]
* [[César Award for Best Female Revelation|Best Female Revelation]]
* [[César Award for Best Adaptation|Best Adaptation]]
* [[César Award for Best Original Screenplay|Best Original Screenplay]]
* [[César Award for Best First Film|Best First Film]]
* [[César Award for Best Foreign Film|Best Foreign Film]]

{{col-break}}
* [[César Award for Best Animated Film|Best Animated Film]]
* [[César Award for Best Documentary Film|Best Documentary Film]]
* [[César Award for Best Animated Short Film|Best Animated Short Film]]
* [[César Award for Best Documentary Short Film|Best Documentary Short Film]]
* [[César Award for Best Fiction Short Film|Best Fiction Short Film]]
* [[César Award for Best Cinematography|Best Cinematography]]
* [[César Award for Best Costume Design|Best Costume Design]]
* [[César Award for Best Editing|Best Editing]]
* [[César Award for Best Original Music|Best Original Music]]
* [[César Award for Best Production Design|Best Production Design]]
* [[César Award for Best Sound|Best Sound]]
* [[César Award for Best Visual Effects|Best Visual Effects]]
{{col-end}}

===Special awards===
* [[Honorary César|Honorary Award]] – since 1976
* César des Césars – only in 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===
* [[César Award for Best Film from the European Union|Best Film from the European Union]] <small>(2002–2004)</small>
* [[César Award for Best Poster|Best Poster]] <small>(1986–1990)</small>
* [[César Award for Best Producer|Best Producer]] <small>(1995–1996)</small>
* [[César Award for Best Original Screenplay or Adaptation|Best Original Screenplay or Adaptation]] <small>(1976–2005)</small>
* Best French Language Film <small>(1984–1986)</small>
* [[César Award for Best Short Film|Best Short Film]] <small>(1992–2021)</small>

==Ceremonies==
{| class="sortable wikitable center" 
! Edition
! Date<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.academie-cinema.org/data/document/dates-lieux-diffuseurs1.pdf|title=Dates, les lieux et les diffuseurs|access-date=17 March 2015|work=Académie des César|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150426164546/http://www.academie-cinema.org/data/document/dates-lieux-diffuseurs1.pdf|archive-date=26 April 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref>  
! President(s)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.academie-cinema.org/data/document/presidents-ceremonie1.pdf|title=Présidences de Cérémonie|access-date=17 March 2015|work=Académie des César|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402205231/http://www.academie-cinema.org/data/document/presidents-ceremonie1.pdf|archive-date=2 April 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref>  
! Host(s)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.academie-cinema.org/data/document/maitres-ceremonie.pdf|title=Maîtres de Cérémonie|access-date=17 March 2015|work=Académie des César|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402194109/http://www.academie-cinema.org/data/document/maitres-ceremonie.pdf|archive-date=2 April 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref>  
! Best Film
|-
|[[1st César Awards]]
|3 April 1976
|[[Jean Gabin]]
|rowspan=3|[[Pierre Tchernia]]
|''[[Le Vieux Fusil]]''
|-
|[[2nd César Awards]]
|19 February 1977
|[[Lino Ventura]]
|''[[Monsieur Klein]]''
|-
|[[3rd César Awards]]
|4 February 1978
|[[Jeanne Moreau]]
|''[[Providence (1977 film)|Providence]]''
|-
|[[4th César Awards]]
|3 February 1979
|[[Charles Vanel]]
|[[Pierre Tchernia]] and [[Jean-Claude Brialy]]
|''[[L'argent des autres|L'Argent des autres]]''
|-
|[[5th César Awards]]
|2 February 1980
|[[Jean Marais]]
|[[Pierre Tchernia]] and [[Peter Ustinov]]
|''[[Tess (1979 film)|Tess]]''
|-
|[[6th César Awards]]
|31 January 1981
|[[Yves Montand]]
|[[Pierre Tchernia]]
|''[[The Last Metro]]''
|-
|[[7th César Awards]]
|27 February 1982
|[[Orson Welles]]
|[[Jacques Martin (TV host)|Jacques Martin]] and [[Pierre Tchernia]]
|''[[Quest for Fire (film)|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|À nos amours]]''<br />&<br /> ''[[Le Bal (1983 film)|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 (film)|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 (film)|Camille Claudel]]''
|-
|[[15th César Awards]]
|4 March 1990
|[[Kirk Douglas]]
|[[Ève Ruggieri]]
|''[[Too Beautiful for You]]''
|-
|[[16th César Awards]]
|9 March 1991
|[[Sophia Loren]]
|[[Richard Bohringer]]
|''[[Cyrano de Bergerac (1990 film)|Cyrano de Bergerac]]''
|-
|[[17th César Awards]]
|22 February 1992
|[[Michèle Morgan]]
|rowspan=2|[[Frédéric Mitterrand]]
|''[[Tous les Matins du Monde]]''
|-
|[[18th César Awards]]
|8 March 1993
|[[Marcello Mastroianni]]
|''[[Savage Nights]]''
|-
|[[19th César Awards]]
|26 February 1994
|[[Gérard Depardieu]]
|[[Fabrice Luchini]] and [[Clémentine Célarié]]
|''[[Smoking/No Smoking|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]]
|rowspan=4|[[Antoine de Caunes]]
|''[[La Haine]]''
|-
|[[22nd César Awards]]
|8 February 1997
|[[Annie Girardot]]
|''[[Ridicule (film)|Ridicule]]''
|-
|[[23rd César Awards]]
|28 February 1998
|[[Juliette Binoche]]
|''[[Same Old Song]]''
|-
|[[24th César Awards]]
|6 March 1999
|[[Isabelle Huppert]]
|''[[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]]
|rowspan=2|[[Édouard Baer]]
|''[[The Taste of Others]]''
|-
|[[27th César Awards]]
|2 March 2002
|[[Nathalie Baye]]
|''[[Amélie]]''
|-
|[[28th César Awards]]
|22 February 2003
|align="center"|—
|[[Géraldine Pailhas]]
|''[[The Pianist (2002 film)|The Pianist]]''
|-
|[[29th César Awards]]
|21 February 2004
|[[Fanny Ardant]]
|rowspan=2|[[Gad Elmaleh]]
|''[[The Barbarian Invasions]]''
|-
|[[30th César Awards]]
|26 February 2005
|[[Isabelle Adjani]]
|''[[Games of Love and Chance]]''
|-
|[[31st César Awards]]
|25 February 2006
|[[Carole Bouquet]]
|rowspan=2|[[Valérie Lemercier]]
|''[[The Beat That My Heart Skipped]]''
|-
|[[32nd César Awards]]
|24 February 2007
|[[Claude Brasseur]]
|''[[Lady Chatterley (film)|Lady Chatterley]]''
|-
|[[33rd César Awards]]
|22 February 2008
|[[Jean Rochefort]]
|rowspan=2|[[Antoine de Caunes]]
|''[[The Secret of the Grain]]''
|-
|[[34th César Awards]]
|27 February 2009
|[[Charlotte Gainsbourg]]
|''[[Séraphine (film)|Séraphine]]''
|-
|[[35th César Awards]]
|27 February 2010
|[[Marion Cotillard]]
|[[Valérie Lemercier]] and [[Gad Elmaleh]]
|''[[A Prophet]]''
|-
|[[36th César Awards]]
|25 February 2011
|[[Jodie Foster]]
|rowspan=3|[[Antoine de Caunes]]
|''[[Of Gods and Men (film)|Of Gods and Men]]''
|-
|[[37th César Awards]]
|24 February 2012
|[[Guillaume Canet]]
|''[[The Artist (film)|The Artist]]''
|-
|[[38th César Awards]]
|22 February 2013
|[[Jamel Debbouze]]
||''[[Amour (2012 film)|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 (2014 film)|Timbuktu]]''
|-
|[[41st César Awards]]
|26 February 2016
|[[Claude Lelouch]]
|[[Florence Foresti]]
||''[[Fatima (2015 film)|Fatima]]''
|-
|[[42nd César Awards]]
|24 February 2017
|align="center"|—
|[[Jérôme Commandeur]]
||''[[Elle (film)|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 (2017 film)|Custody]]''
|-
|[[45th César Awards]]
|28 February 2020
|[[Sandrine Kiberlain]]
|[[Florence Foresti]]
||''[[Les Misérables (2019 film)|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 (2021 film)|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]]''
|-
|[[50th César Awards]]
|28 February 2025
|[[Catherine Deneuve]]
|[[Jean-Pascal Zadi]]
|''[[Emilia Pérez]]''
|}

==Overall==
===Films that received five or more César Awards===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Film !! Year !! Noms. !! Wins
|-
| [[Cyrano de Bergerac (1990 film)|''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 (2021 film)|Lost Illusions]]'' || 2022||15||7
|-
| ''[[Same Old Song]]'' ||1997 || 12 || 7
|-
| ''[[Emilia Pérez]]'' ||2024 || 12 || 7
|-
| ''[[Tous les Matins du Monde|All the World's Mornings]]'' ||1991 || 11 || 7
|-
|  ''[[The Pianist (2002 film)|The Pianist]]'' || 2002 || 10 || 7
|-
| ''[[Au revoir les enfants|Goodbye, Children]]'' || 1987 || 9 || 7
|-
| ''[[Séraphine (film)|Séraphine]]'' ||2008 || 9 || 7
|-
| ''[[Providence (1977 film)|Providence]]'' || 1977 || 8 || 7
|-
| ''[[Timbuktu (2014 film)|Timbuktu]]'' || 2015 || 8 || 7
|-
| ''[[The Artist (film)|The Artist]]'' || 2012 || 10 || 6
|-
| ''[[Thérèse (film)|Thérèse]]'' || 1986 || 10 || 6
|-
| ''[[Camille Claudel (film)|Camille Claudel]]'' || 1988 || 12 || 5
|-
| ''[[La Reine Margot (1994 film)|Queen Margot]]'' || 1994 || 12 || 5
|-
| ''[[A Very Long Engagement]]'' || 2004 || 12 || 5
|-
|''[[Annette (film)|Annette]]'' || 2022 || 11||5
|-
| ''[[Too Beautiful For You]]'' || 1989 || 11 || 5
|-
| ''[[La Vie en Rose (film)|La Vie en Rose]]'' || 2007 || 11 || 5
|-
| ''[[Amour (2012 film)|Amour]]'' || 2013 || 10 || 5
|-
| ''[[Me, Myself and Mum]]'' || 2014 || 10 || 5
|-
| ''[[Lady Chatterley (film)|Lady Chatterley]]'' || 2007 || 9 || 5
|-
| ''[[Smoking/No Smoking]]'' || 1993 || 9 || 5
|}

===Films that received 10 or more César Award nominations===
{| class="sortable wikitable"
|-
!Film!!Year!!Noms.!!Wins
|-
|''[[Lost Illusions (2021 film)|Lost Illusions]]'' || 2022||15||7
|-
|''[[Amélie]]''||2001||13||4
|-
|''[[Cyrano de Bergerac (1990 film)|Cyrano de Bergerac]]''||1990||13||10
|-
|''[[Subway (film)|Subway]]''||1985||13||3
|-
|''[[A Prophet]]''||2009||13||9
|-
|''[[Polisse]]''||2012||13||2
|-
|''[[Camille redouble]]''||2013||13||0
|-
|''[[See You Up There (film)|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
|-
|''[[So Long, Stooge|Tchao Pantin]]''||1984||12||5
|-
|''[[Camille Claudel (film)|Camille Claudel]]''||1988||12||5
|-
|''[[La Reine Margot (1994 film)|Queen Margot]]''||1994||12||5
|-
|''[[Ridicule (film)|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 (film)|An Officer and a Spy]]''||2020||12||3
|-
|''[[Les Misérables (2019 film)|Les Misérables]]''||2020||12||4
|-
|''[[Emilia Pérez]]''||2025||12||7
|-
|''[[Tous les Matins du Monde|All the World's Mornings]]''||1991||11||7
|-
|''[[Nelly and Mr. Arnaud]]''||1995||11||2
|-
|''[[A Secret]]''||2007||11||1
|-
|''[[In the Beginning (2009 film)|À l'origine]]''||2009||11||1
|-
|''[[Of Gods and Men (film)|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 (film)|La Vie en Rose]]''||2007||11||5
|-
|''[[Marguerite (2015 film)|Marguerite]]''||2016||11||4
|-
|''[[Elle (film)|Elle]]''||2017||11||2
|-
|''[[Frantz (film)|Frantz]]''||2017||11||1
|-
|''[[My Golden Days]]''||2016||11||1
|-
|''[[La Belle Époque (film)|La Belle Époque]]''||2020||11||3
|-
|''[[Annette (film)|Annette]]'' || 2022 || 11||5
|-
|''[[Mesrine (2008 film)|Public Enemy Number One]]''||2008||10||3
|-
|''[[The Beat That My Heart Skipped]]''||2005||10||8
|-
|''[[Coup de Torchon|Clean Up]]''||1981||10||0
|-
|''[[The Pianist (2002 film)|The Pianist]]''||2002||10||7
|-
|''[[Thérèse (film)|Thérèse]]''||1986||10||6
|-
|''[[Welcome (2009 film)|Welcome]]''||2009||10||0
|-
|''[[The Artist (film)|The Artist]]''||2012||10||6
|-
|''[[Farewell, My Queen]]''||2013||10||3
|-
|''[[Amour (2012 film)|Amour]]''||2013||10||5
|-
|''[[Me, Myself and Mum]]''||2014||10||5
|-
|''[[Custody (2017 film)|Custody]]''||2019||10||4
|-
|''[[Saint Laurent (film)|Saint Laurent]]''||2015||10||1
|-
|''[[Sink or Swim (2018 film)|Sink or Swim]]''||2019||10||1
|-
|''[[C'est la vie! (2017 film)|C'est la vie!]]''||2018||10||0
|-
|''[[Portrait of a Lady on Fire]]''||2020||10||1
|-
|''[[Aline (film)|Aline]]'' ||2022 || 10 || 1
|}

===Directors with two or more awards===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Director !! Noms. !! Wins.
|-
| [[Jacques Audiard]] || 8 || 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===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! 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 (actress)|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 Screenplay, Dialogue or Adaptation: [[Suzanne Schiffman]] and [[François Truffaut]]

*''[[Amour (2012 film)|Amour]]'' (2013)
#Best Film: [[Michael Haneke]] & [[Margaret Ménégoz]]
#Best Director: [[Michael Haneke]]
#Best Actor: [[Jean-Louis Trintignant]]
#Best Actress: [[Emmanuelle Riva]]
#Best Original Screenplay: [[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 film)|Cyrano de Bergerac]]'' (1990): Best Actress ([[Anne Brochet]]) and Original Screenplay or Adaptation ([[Jean-Claude Carrière]] and [[Jean-Paul Rappeneau]])
*''[[Same Old Song]]'' (1997): Best Actress ([[Sabine Azéma]]) and Director ([[Alain Resnais]])
*''[[The Artist (film)|The Artist]]'' (2011): Best Actor ([[Jean Dujardin]]) and Original Screenplay ([[Michel Hazanavicius]])
*[[Custody (2017 film)|''Custody'']] (2017): Best Actor ([[Denis Ménochet]]) and Director ([[Xavier Legrand]])

===Most acting wins and nominations for a film===
{| class="sortable wikitable"
|-
!Total !! Wins !! Film !! class="unsortable"|Actors
|-
|7||1||''[[Polisse]]''||Actress: [[Marina Foïs]] and [[Karin Viard]]<br />Supporting Actor: [[Nicolas Duvauchelle]], [[JoeyStarr]] and [[Frédéric Pierrot]]<br />Supporting Actress: [[Karole Rocher]]<br />Promising Actress [[Naidra Ayadi]] (won)
|-
|7||0||''[[Camille redouble]]''||Actress: [[Noémie Lvovsky]]<br />Supporting Actor: [[Samir Guesmi]] and [[Michel Vuillermoz]]<br /> Supporting Actress: [[Judith Chemla]] and [[Yolande Moreau]]<br />Promising Actress [[Julia Faure]] and [[India Hair]]
|-
|5||3||''[[Same Old Song]]''||Actor: [[André Dussollier]] (won)<br />Actress: [[Sabine Azéma]]<br />Supporting Actor: [[Jean-Pierre Bacri]] (won) and [[Lambert Wilson]]<br />Supporting Actress: [[Agnès Jaoui]] (won)
|-
|4||3||''[[La Reine Margot (1994 film)|Queen Margot]]''||Actress: [[Isabelle Adjani]] (won)<br />Supporting Actor: [[Jean-Hugues Anglade]] (won)<br />Supporting Actress: [[Dominique Blanc (actress)|Dominique Blanc]] and [[Virna Lisi]] (won)
|-
|4||2||''[[The Last Metro]]''||Actor: [[Gérard Depardieu]] (won)<br />Actress: [[Catherine Deneuve]] (won)<br />Supporting Actor: [[Heinz Bennent]]<br />Supporting Actress: [[Andréa Ferréol]]
|-
|4||1||''[[Elle (film)|Elle]]''||Actress: [[Isabelle Huppert]] (won)<br />Supporting Actor: [[Laurent Lafitte]]<br />Supporting Actress: [[Anne Consigny]]<br />Promising Actor: Jonas Bloquet
|-
|4||1||''[[La Famille Bélier]]''||Actor: [[François Damiens]]<br />Actress: [[Karin Viard]] <br />Supporting Actor: [[Éric Elmosnino]]<br />Promising Actress: [[Louane Emera]] (won)
|-
|4||1||''[[Too Beautiful for You]]''||Actor: [[Gérard Depardieu]]<br />Actress: [[Josiane Balasko]] and [[Carole Bouquet]] (won)<br />Supporting Actor: [[Roland Blanche]]
|-
|4||0||''[[Amélie]]''||Actress: [[Audrey Tautou]]<br />Supporting Actor: [[Jamel Debbouze]] and [[Rufus (actor)|Rufus]]<br /> Supporting Actress: [[Isabelle Nanty]]
|-
|3||2||''[[Amour (2012 film)|Amour]]''||Actor: [[Jean-Louis Trintignant]] (won)<br />Actress: [[Emmanuelle Riva]] (won)<br />Supporting Actress: [[Isabelle Huppert]]
|-
|3||2||''[[What's in a Name? (2012 film)|What's in a Name]]''||Actor: [[Patrick Bruel]]<br />Supporting Actor: [[Guillaume de Tonquédec]] (won)<br />Supporting Actress: [[Valérie Benguigui]] (won)
|-
|3||1||''[[Camille Claudel (film)|Camille Claudel]]''||Actor: [[Gérard Depardieu]]<br />Actress: [[Isabelle Adjani]] (won)<br /> Supporting Actor: [[Alain Cuny]]
|-
|3||1||''[[Hippocrate]]''||Actor: [[Vincent Lacoste]] <br />Supporting Actor: [[Reda Kateb]] (won)<br />Supporting Actress: [[Marianne Denicourt]]
|-
|3||1||''[[It's Only the End of the World]]''||Actor: [[Gaspard Ulliel]] (won)<br />Supporting Actor: [[Vincent Cassel]]<br />Supporting Actress: [[Nathalie Baye]]
|-
|3||1||''[[La Vie en rose (film)|La Vie en rose]]''||Actress: [[Marion Cotillard]] (won)<br />Supporting actor: [[Pascal Greggory]]<br /> Supporting Actress: [[Sylvie Testud]]
|-
|3||1||''[[Yves Saint Laurent (film)|Yves Saint Laurent]]''||Actor: [[Pierre Niney]] (won)<br />Supporting Actor: [[Guillaume Gallienne]]<br />Supporting Actress: [[Charlotte Le Bon]]
|-
|3||0||''[[Ridicule (film)|Ridicule]]''||Actor: [[Charles Berling]]<br />Supporting Actor: [[Bernard Giraudeau]] and [[Jean Rochefort]]
|-
|3||0||''[[Saint Laurent (film)|Saint Laurent]]''||Actor: [[Gaspard Ulliel]]<br />Supporting Actor: [[Louis Garrel]] and [[Jérémie Renier]]
|}

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==See also==
*[[Academy Awards]]
*[[British Academy Film Awards]]
*[[Lumière Awards]]
*[[Louis Delluc Prize]]
*[[Magritte Award]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|César Awards}}
* [http://www.academie-cinema.org/ Official website]
* {{IMDb event|0000157}}

{{Césars}}
{{César Awards presidents}}
{{National Cinema Awards}}
{{Cinema of France}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cesar Award}}
[[Category:César Awards| ]]
[[Category:French film awards]]
[[Category:Awards established in 1976]]
[[Category:1976 establishments in France]]
[[Category:Recurring events established in 1976]]
[[Category:Annual events in France]]