Les Misérables bold

Source: Amazon Studios

‘Les Misérables’

Ladj Ly’s debut feature and Cannes Jury Prize winner Les Misérables, revolving around social tensions in a tough Paris suburb, is the frontrunner in the 25th edition of France’s Lumière awards this year, with seven nominations.

The awards which are voted on by some 130 international correspondents hailing from 40 countries are France’s equivalent of the Golden Globes.

Les Misérables has been nominated for best film, director, screenplay, cinematography, first film and twice in the best new actor section for two of its cast members, Alexis Manenti and Issa Perica.

The work, which is also France’s submission to the best international film category of the 2020 Oscars, is currently doing good business at the French box office. It has drawn 560,000 spectators in its first two weeks on release for a rough gross of $4.1m.

Neck and neck behind Les Misérables, lie François Ozon’s By The Grace Of God and Roman Polanski’s An Officer And A Spy, with five nominations each, including in the best film, director and best screenplay categories.

The nominations for Polanski’s latest will prove controversial following a fresh rape allegation made against the director last month. 

Céline Sciamma’s Portrait Of A Lady On Fire and Arnaud Desplechin follow with four nominations each, including best film.

For the first time a feature-length animation has also made it into the best film category with the nomination of Jeremy Clapin’s quirky work I Lost My Body. The film has just been launched on Netflix after a successful festival run. 

This year, the awards are launching a new prize for best international co-production aimed at celebrating a French producer’s work on the international scene. Nominees in this section include Brazilian drama Bacurau and Algerian female emancipation tale Papicha.

The Lumières were created in 1995 by late producer Daniel Toscan du Plantier and the British journalist Edward Behr. The 25th edition of the Lumière awards will take place on January 27, 2020. Former Unifrance managing director Isabelle Giordano will present the ceremony.

 The 2020 Lumiere nominations in full: 

Best film

  • By The Grace Of God, François Ozon
  • An Officer And A Spy, Roman Polanski
  • Les Misérables, Ladj Ly
  • Portrait Of A Lady On Fire, Céline Sciamma
  • Oh Mercy!, Arnaud Desplechin 

Best director

  • Jérémy Clapin, I Lost My Body
  • Arnaud Desplechin, Oh Mercy!
  • Ladj Ly, Les Misérables
  • Roman Polanski, An Officer And A Spy
  • Céline Sciamma, Portrait Of A Lady On Fire

Best actress

  • Fanny Ardant, La Belle Epoque
  • Anaïs Demoustier, Alice And The Mayor
  • Eva Green, Proxima
  • Noémie Merlant, Portrait Of A Lady On Fire
  • Karin Viard, Perfect Nanny

Best actor

  • Swann Arlaud, By The Grace Of God
  • Daniel Auteuil, La Belle époque
  • Jean Dujardin, An Officer And A Spy
  • Fabrice Luchini, Alice And The Mayor
  • Roschdy Zem, Oh Mercy!

Best screenplay

  • Nicolas Bedos - La Belle Epoque
  • Ladj Ly, Giordano Gederlini and Llexis manenti, Les Misérables
  • François Ozon, By The Grace Of God
  • Nicolas Pariser, La Belle Epoque
  • Roman Polanski and Robert Harris, An Officer And A Spy

Best cinematography

  • Manuel Dacosse, By The Grace Of God
  • Pawel Edelman, An Officer And A Spy
  • Irina Lubtchansky, Oh Mercy!
  • Claire Mathon, Portrait Of A Lady On Fire
  • Julien Poupard, Les Misérables de Ladj Ly

Best new actress

  • Céleste Brunnquell, The Dazzled
  • Mina Farid, An Easy Girl
  • Nina Meurisse, Camille
  • Lise Leplat Prudhomme, Jeanne
  • Mama Sané, Atlantics

Best new actor

  • Thomas Daloz, Particles
  • Alexis Manenti, Les Misérables
  • Tom Mercier, Synonymes
  • Issa Perica, Les Misérables
  • Thimotée Robart, Burning Ghost

Best first film

  • Atlantics, Mati Diop
  • Conviction, Antoine Raimbault
  • Les Misérables, Ladj Ly
  • The Mustang, Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre
  • The Bare Necessity, Erwan Le Duc

Best international co-production

  • Bacurau, Kleber Mendonça Filho and Juliano Dornelles
  • It Must Be heaven, Elia Suleiman
  • Young Ahmed, de Luc and Jean-Pierre Dardenne
  • Lola, Laurent Micheli
  • Papicha, Mounia Meddour

Best animation film

  • The Bears’ Famous Invasion Of Sicily, Lorenzo Mattotti
  • Funan, Denis Do
  • Swallows Of Kabul, Zabou Breitman and Eléa Gobbé-Mévellec
  • I Lost My Body, Jérémy Clapin
  • The Tower, Mats Grorud

Best documentary

  • Living And Knowing You’re Alive, Alain Cavalier
  • Lourdes, Thierry Demaizière and Alban Teurlai
  • M, Yolande Zauberman
  • Just Don’t Think I’ll Scream, Frank Beauvais
  • 68, Mon Père Et Les Clous, Samuel Bigiaoui

Best soundtrack

  • Fatima Al Qadiri, Atlantics
  • Christophe, Jeanne
  • Alexandre Desplat, Adults In The Room
  • Evgueni Galperine and Aacha Galperine, By The Grace Of God
  • Dan Levy, I Lost My Body

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