Césars 2025: ‘Emilia Pérez’ Defies Awards-Season Train Wreck To Win Best Film & Director As Karla Sofía Gascón Makes Appearance But Leaves Empty-Handed
Jacques Audiard swept the board at the 50th Césars on Friday evening, winning Best Director and Film for Emilia Pérez against expectations after its award-season campaign was derailed by the uncovering of racist tweets by its star Karla Sofía Gascón.
“It’s such a pleasure although I fear you actually don’t like me,” quipped a visibly moved Audiard as he received the Directors Award, which was announced first, with Anatomy of Fall Oscar and César winner Justine Triet handing it over. “I thank my marvellous team and when I say my team it’s not in the sense of ownership, but rather a declaration of love.”
More from Deadline
Audiard also cited Gascón, who he has publicly distanced himself from in the wake of the tweet scandal, as well as co-star Zoe Salda?a, referring to them as “My darling Zoe, my Darling Karla.”
Audiard’s Oscar hopeful also clinched Best Adapted Screenplay, Sound, Original Music, Special Effects and Cinematography.
Gascón, who stopped attending awards shows amid the backlash of her social media posts, walked the red carpet tonight in Paris; she is confirmed to attend Sunday’s Oscars, where she is up for Best Actress among a leading 13 nominations for the film.
Gascón and Saldana were in the running for the Best Actress César but both went home empty-handed after French actress Hafsia Herzi won for her performance in thriller Borgo as a prison guard who finds herself caught in the crosshairs of a young inmate.
Meanwhile tonight, The Count of Monte Cristo, which went into the ceremony as the hot favorite with 14 nominations, won Best Production Design and Costume. Gilles Lellouche’s star-crossed romance Beating Hearts won Best Supporting Actor for Alan Chabat.
The big surprises of the evening was Boris Lojkine’s asylum seeker tale Souleymane’s Story, which walked away with four Césars, including Best Male Revelation for its 23 year old lead Abou Sangaré, who arrived in France from Guinea at the age of 16 and has faced similar challenges to the protagonist in the film.
The 50th ceremony was presided over by Catherine Deneuve, who attended the inaugural edition in 1976 as a nominee and since won two Best Actress Césars for The Last Metro and Indochine.
Speaking just hours after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s fiery White House meeting with U.S. president Donald Trump and vice president JD Vance, a defiant Deneuve appeared on stage sporting a Ukrainian flag pin and dedicated the 50th ceremony to Ukraine.
There were also honorary Césars for Julia Roberts and Costa-Gavras handed out tonight.
UK actor Clive Owen, who co-starred opposite Roberts in Closer and Duplicity, presented the actress with her César.
He praised her filmography and her generosity as a co-star: “She is often said of having great chemistry with her co-actors because she makes them better, I know this on a personal level.”
“Settle down, settle down,” declared Roberts as the auditorium broke into long applause. “Every brilliant thought I had has left me… Clive thank you for those beautiful words. Thank you Catherine Deneuve for being born and making the world of movies a better place.”
“My incredible daughter told me to write a speech and I’ve never written a speech about myself and it was a complex thing to do… I finally did it and then left it at the hotel so I will try to shuffle my thoughts together,” she said.
“Any artist knows that this is not a singular endeavour so to stand here alone is a fraud… it’s been 35 years I’ve been able to live my dreams on a daily basis so I am forever grateful for all of the people who have allowed me to do that,” she continued, giving a special mention to her husband and three children, before concluding: “Merrily, merrily, life is but a dream.”
Here are the winners at the 2025 César Awards:
Best Film
Emilia Pérez
Best Director
Jacques Audiard for Emilia Pérez
Best Original Screenplay
Boris Lojkine et Delphine Agut for Souleymane’s Story
Best Adapted Screenplay
Jacques Audiard for Emilia Pérez
Best Actress
Hafsia Herzi for Borgo
Best Actor
Karim Leklou for Jim’s Story
Best Supporting Actress
Nina Meurisse for Souleymane’s Story
Best Supporting Actor
Alain Chabat for Beating Hearts
Female Revelation
Ma?wène Barthelemy for Holy Cow
Male Revelation
Abou Sangare for Souleymane’s Story
Best Animated Feature
Flow by Gint Zilbalodis
Best Documentary
The Bertrand’s Farm by Gilles Perret
Best First Film
Holy Cow by Louise Courvoisier
Best Foreign Film
The Zone Of Interest by Jonathan Glazer
Best Sound
Erwan Kerzanet, Aymeric Devoldère, Cyril Holtz and Niels Barletta for Emilia Pérez
Cinematography
Paul Guilhaume for Emilia Pérez
Best Editing
Xavier Sirven for Souleymane’s Story
Best Costumes
Thierry Delettre for The Count of Monte Cristo
Best Production Design
Stéphane Taillasson for The Count of Monte Cristo
Best Special Effects
Cédric Fayolle for Emilia Pérez
Best Short Animation
Beurk! by Lo?c Espuche
Best Documentary Short
Southern Brides by Elena López Riera
Best Short Fiction Film
The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent by Neboj?a Slijep?evi?
Best of Deadline
Sign up for Deadline's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Solve the daily Crossword
