Two sleeper hits - Harry, He's Here To Help (Harry, Un Ami Qui Vous Veux Du Bien) and Le Gout Des Autres - dominated the nominations for this year's Cesar awards, with nine nods apiece.

Departing from its taste for high-profile and classic dramas by established auteurs, the French film industry has singled out trendier, smaller and often genre titles for this year's Cesar, the French equivalent of the Academy Awards, which are to be announced on February 24.

Thriller Harry, a second film by Dominik Moll, and Le Gout Des Autres, a comedy by first-timer Agnes Jaoui, will both be competing for the best film, best director and best script awards.

Harry's Sergi Lopez is also in the running for best actor as is Le Gout's Jean-Pierre Bacri. However no less than four Le Gout thesps, including Jaoui herself, have been nominated for best supporting actor or actress, while Harry has picked up one supporting actress nod for Mathilde Seigner.

Period piece Saint Cyr has racked up seven nominations, including best film, best director (for Patricia Mazuy) and best actress (Isabelle Huppert), while Mathieu Kassovitz's thriller Les Rivieres Pourpres garnered five nods including best director.

Bernard Rapp's Une Affaire De Gout and Jean-Pierre Denis' Les Blessures Assassines have also been nominated for best film; the latter is also competing in the best director category.

Period drama proved an effective vehicle for actresses during 2000, as Huppert will be competing against Juliette Binoche in La Veuve De Saint-Pierre and Emmanuelle Beart in Les Destinees Sentimentales for best actress. Marie-Line's Muriel Robin and Stand By's Dominique Blanc fill out the category. Charles Berling (Les Destinees Sentimentales) and Pascal Greggory (La Confusion Des Genres) will also be vying for best actor.

Meanwhile two Asian titles, Wong Kar Wai's In The Mood For Love and Edward Yang's Yi Yi, will be battling heavyweights Billy Elliot, American Beauty and Dancer In The Dark for the best foreign film award.

FULL LIST OF CESAR NOMINATIONS:

BEST FILM:
Les Blessures Assassines - Jean-Pierre Denis
Le Gout Des Autres - Agnes Jaoui
Harry, A Friend Who Wishes You Well - Dominik Moll
Saint Cyr - Patricia Mazuy
Un Affaire De Gout - Bernard Rapp

BEST DIRECTOR:
Jean-Pierre Denis - Les Blessures Assassines
Agnes Jaoui - Le Gout Des Autres
Matthieu Kassovitz - Les Rivieres Pourpres
Patricia Mazuy - Saint Cyr
Dominik Moll - Harry, A Friend Who Wishes You Well

BEST ACTOR:
Jean-Pierre Bacri - Le Gout Des Autres
Charles Berling - Les Destinees Sentimentales
Bernard Giraudeau - Une Affaire De Gout
Pascal Greggory - La Confusion Des Genres
Sergi Lopez - Harry, A Friend Who Wishes You Well

BEST ACTRESS:
Emmanuelle Beart - Les Destinees Sentimentales
Juliette Binoche - Le Veuve De Saint-Pierre
Dominique Blanc - Stand By
Isabelle Huppert - Saint Cyr
Muriel Robin - Marie-Line

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR:
Alain Chabat - Le Gout Des Autres
Jean-Pierre Kalfon - Saint Cyr
Emir Kusturica - Le Veuve De Saint-Pierre
Gerard Lanvin - Le Gout Des Autres
Lambert Wilson - Jet Set

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS:
Anne Alvaro - Le Gout Des Autres
Jeanne Balibar - Ca Ira Mieux Demain
Agnes Jaoui - Le Gout Des Autres
Mathilde Seigner - Harry, A Friend Who Wishes You Well
Florence Thomassin - Une Affaire De Gout

BEST MALE NEWCOMER:
Jalil Lespert - Ressources Humaines
Jean-Pierre Lorit - Une Affaire De Gout
Boris Terral - Le Roi Danse
Cyrille Thouvenin - La Confusion Des Genres
Malik Zidi - Gouttes D'Eau Sur Pierres Brulantes

BEST FEMALE NEWCOMER:
Berenice Bejo - Meilleur Espoir Feminin
Sophie Guillemin - Harry, A Friend Who Wishes You Well
Isild Le Besco - Sade
Julie-Marie Parmentier - Les Blessures Assassines

BEST FOREIGN FILM:
American Beauty - Sam Mendes
Billy Elliot - Stephen Daldry
Dancer In The Dark - Lars von Trier
In The Mood For Love - Wong Kar Wai
Yi Yi - Edward Yang

BEST SCREENPLAY:
Laurent Cantet, Gilles Marchand - Ressources Humaines
Agnes Jaoui, Jean-Pierre Bacri - Le Gout Des Autres
Dominik Moll, Gilles Marchand - Harry, A Friend Who Wishes You Well
Gilles Taurand, Bernard Rapp - Une Affaire De Gout
Yves Thomas, Patricia Mazuy - Saint Cyr

BEST COSTUMES:
Olivier Beriot - Le Roi Danse
Yvonne Sassinot De Nesle - Vatel
Edith Vesperini, Jean-Daniel Vuillermoz - Saint Cyr

BEST FIRST FEATURE:
Nationale 7 - Jean-Pierre Sinapi
Ressources Humaines - Laurent Cantet
Scenes De Crime - Frederic Schoendoerffer
La Squale - Frederic Genestal
Stand By - Roch Stephanik

BEST MUSIC:
John Cale - Saint Cyr
Bruno Coulais - Les Rivieres Pourpres
David Sinclair Whitaker - Harry, A Friend Who Wishes You Well
Tomatito, Sheikh Ahmad Al Tuni, La Caita, Tony Gatlif - Vengo

BEST CINEMAPHOTOGRAPHY:
Thierry Arbogast - Les Rivieres Pourpres
Eric Gautier - Les Destinees Sentimentales
Agnes Godard - Beau Travail

BEST ART DIRECTION:
Thierry Francois - Saint Cyr
Jean Rabasse - Vatel
Katia Wyszkop - Les Destinees Sentimentales

BEST SOUND:
Francois Maurel, Gerard Lamps - Harry, A Friend Who Wishes You Well
Henri Morelle, Dominique Dalmasso - Le Roi Danse
Vincent Tulli, Cyril Holtz - Les Rivieres Pourpres

BEST EDITING:
Yannick Kergoat - Harry, A Friend Who Wishes You Well
Herve de Luze - Le Gout Des Autres
Maryline Monthieux - Les Rivieres Pourpres

BEST SHORT:
Au Bout Du Monde - Konstantin Bronzit
Le Puits - Jerome Boulbes
Salam - Souad El Bouhati
Un Petit Air De Fete - Eric Guirado