The 49th César awards — France’s most esteemed filmmaking honors, presented by the Académie des Arts et Techniques du Cinéma — were held Friday night (February 23) in Paris. The 2024 ceremony at the Olympia was hosted by Valérie Lemercier (Aline, Les Visiteurs), and saw Honorary Césars awarded to British-American director Christopher Nolan and actress/filmmaker Agnès Jaoui.
This year’s winningest film is Anatomy of a Fall, which earned Best Film, made Justine Triet the second woman in Césars history to win Best Director, and won three additional categories.
In the Best Animated Feature race, Chicken for Linda! (Linda Veut du Poulet!) had the right flavor to win over the Academie. Directed by Chiara Malta & Sébastien Laudenbach, the story of a loving mother trying to cheer up her daughter by cooking her late father’s signature chicken dish — even though she can’t cook and there’s a general strike — adds the César to a trophy case which already boasts the Lumière award, Annecy Cristal and Cinekid Lion. GKIDS handles distribution for the film in the U.S.
Mathilde Bédouet’s Summer 96 (Été 96) was awarded the Best Animated Short Film honor. The nostalgic vacation story unfolds as a beach outing goes awry: Paul, his family and friends are enjoying their annual picnic on Callot Island, but are trapped by the tide, leading to a new awareness in Paul’s adolescent psyche. The film recently screened in competition at Clermont-Ferrand, and is available to stream through France.TV.
The Best Visual Effects award went to The Animal Kingdom (Le Règne animal) from previous triple-César winner Thomas Cailley (Love at First Sight). The sci-fi adventure is set in a world where a mysterious mutation condition gradually transforms some humans into animal hybrids, and centers on a man who follows the creatures into the forest with his teenage son in a desperate bid to save his afflicted wife. The picture also won for Cinematography and Costumes, and was the most-nominated film this year with 12 nods.
Winners & Nominees
Best Animated Feature
- Winner: Linda Veut du Poulet! (Chicken for Linda!) — dir. Chiara Malta & Sébastien Laudenbach, prod. Marc Irmer, Emmanuel-Alain Raynal & Pierre Baussaron
- Interdix aux Chiens et aux Italiens (No Dogs or Italians Allowed)– directed by Alain Ughetto, produced by Alexandre Cornu, Jean-François Le Corre & Mattieu Courtois
- Mars Express — dir. Jérémie Périn, prod. Didier Creste
Best Animated Short Film
(Academy Awards-qualifying prize.)
- Winner: Été 96 (Summer 96) — dir. Mathilde Bédouet, prod. Ninon Chapuis, Thibault De Gantès, Lucas Le Postec & Simon Ingelaere
- Drôles d’oiseaux (Funny Birds) — dir. Charlie Belin, prod. Virginie Giachino & Jean-Stéphane Michaux
- La Forêt de Mademoiselle Tang (陳小姐的森林) (The Forest of Miss Tang) — dir. Denis Do, prod. Sébastien Onomo
Best Visual Effects
- Winner: Le Règne Animal (The Animal Kingdom) — Cyrille Bonjean, Bruno Sommier, Jean-Louis Autret
- Acide
- La Montagne
- Les Trois Mousquetaires (The Three Musketeers) Part 1: D’Artagnan / Part 2: Milady
