Timbuktu triumphs at French Césars

Abderrahmane Sissako’s Timbuktu picked up seven awards at France’s César ceremony in Paris on Friday evening (February 20), including best film and best director.

The film, inspired by the stoning to death of an unmarried couple with children by Islamists in northern Mali in 2012, has gained fresh resonance in France following the deadly attack on satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo in January.

The picture also picked up awards for its screenplay, sound, editing and cinematography while celebrated Tunisian composer Amine Bouhafa clinched the César for best original score.

Timbuktu is in the running for an Oscar in the foreign language category on Sunday night, alongside Ida, Leviathan, Tangerines and Wild Tales. 

Another top winner at Friday’s ceremony was Thomas Cailley’s Love At First Fight (Les Combattants), about the relationship that blooms on an army assault course. It won for best first film as well as best actress for Adele Haenel and best male newcomer for Kevin Azaïs.

Haenel fought off competition from Oscar hopeful Marion Cotillard (Two Days, One Night) and Juliette Binoche (Sils Maria) as well as Karin Viard for her performance in box office hit La Famille Bélier.

In an unexpected win, Pierre Niney clinched best actor for his performance in Jalil Lespert’s Yves Saint Laurent as the iconic fashion designer, beating Gaspar Ulliel, who was the star of Bertrand Bonello’s rival picture Saint Laurent, as well as Guillaume Canet in La Prochaine Fois Je Viserai Le Coeu.

Canadian director Xavier Dolan won best foreign film for Mommy.

Hollywood was out in force at the ceremony on Friday night with Sean Penn picking up an honorary César, while Kristen Stewart won best supporting actress for Sils Maria and also handed out the best actor award to Niney alongside Juliette Binoche.

Full List Of Winners:

BEST FILM
Timbuktu

BEST DIRECTOR
Abderrahmane Sissako – Timbuktu

BEST FOREIGN FILM
Mommy – Xavier Dolan

BEST ACTRESS
Adèle Haenel – Love At First Fight

BEST ACTOR
Pierre Niney – Yves Saint Laurent

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Kristen Stewart – Sils Maria

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Reda Kateb – Hippocrates

BEST FEMALE NEWCOMER
Louane Emera – La Famille Bélier

BEST MALE NEWCOMER
Kevin Azaïs – Love At First Fight

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Abderrahmane Sissako – Timbuktu

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Cyril Gely, Volker Schlondorff – Diplomatie

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
Minuscule – The Valley Of Lost Ants – Hélėne Giraud, Thomas Szabo

BEST ANIMATED SHORT
Les Petits Cailloux

BEST FIRST FILM
Love At First Fight

BEST DOCUMENTARY
The Salt Of The Earth – Juliano Riberio, Wim Wenders

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
Amine Bouhafa – Timbuktu

BEST SHORT FILM
La Femme De Rio – Emma Luchini, Nicolas Rey

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Sofian El Fani – Timbuktu

BEST EDITING
Nadia Ben Rachid – Timbuktu

BEST SOUND
Timbuktu

BEST COSTUMES
Anais Romand – Saint Laurent

BEST ART DIRECTION
Thierry Flamand – Beauty And The Beast

HONORARY CÉSAR
Sean Penn