The tragicomedy Adieu les Cons tells the story of a seriously ill 43-year-old woman who decides to look for her daughter, which she had at the age of 15 and, after pressure from her parents, gave her up for adoption. The film hit theaters just before it closed in late October due to a covid-19 pandemic. In just ten days, it was seen by more than 700,000 spectators.
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The award for foreign film went to the Danish film Booze by director Thomas Vinterberg. The drama tells the story of four friends, teachers, who start an experiment with drinking together. The film won last year’s European Film Awards and was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Non-English Language Film.
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The prestigious award was presented in the famous Olympia concert hall in Paris without an audience due to the coronavirus pandemic. Only nominees and award winners took part in the event. The ceremony was also widely criticized for closing the country’s culture and calling for cinemas to open, the DPA said.
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125 films applied for the votes of academics, which managed to get on the screens of cinemas even during the pandemic. Most, 13 nominations, received the sentimental comedy Love Stories (Les Choses qu’on dit, les choses qu’on fait) by Emmanuel Mouret. After 12 nominations, he had the winning film and also the drama about friendship Summer 85 (Eté 85), which was directed by François Ozon.
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Strict hygiene measures for the César awards
Photo: Pool, Reuters
The best French films were selected by 4,292 members of the César Academy, with less than 55 percent voting. After last year’s accusation of lack of transparency in the selection of winners, this year’s jury had a significantly changed composition, led by Véronique Cayla. Last year, the entire management of the French Academy ended after a dispute over the nomination of Roman Polansky’s film J’accuse (I Regret). According to critics, it was unacceptable for a man facing charges of rape to be applauded at the ceremony.
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