Jacques Audiard’s ‘Emilia Perez’ Wins Best Film at France’s 2025 Cesar Awards (Full Winners List)
Jacques Audiard’s crime musical “Emilia Perez” won a raft of prizes, including best film and director, at the 50th edition of the Cesar Awards, France’s equivalent to the Oscars, on Friday in Paris.
“Emilia Perez” won a total of seven awards (also including best adapted screenplay, sound, original music, special effects and cinematography) out of 12 nominations. While Zoe Saldana and Karla Sofía Gascón were both on hand and nominated for best actress, they lost to Hafsia Herzi, who starred as a prison supervisor in Stéphane Demoustier’s “Borgo.”
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Gascón made her first award show appearance at the Cesar Awards ceremony after laying low in the wake of her offensive posts. Although she skipped the press line on the red carpet, Gascón sat on the same row as Audiard and Saldana inside the Olympia theater, but didn’t seat next to them.
The ceremony’s emcee, French actor Jean-Pascal Zadi, joked about Gascon’s social media posts in his opening speech when he said “Emilia Perez” was “nominated for best director, best film, best actress and best tweet,” sparking a mix of shock and laugher in the crowd, including on Audiard’s and Saldana’s faces. Zadi then told Audiard, “Jacques, that’s all we have left to do it, we have to laugh.”
Audiard, who was handed the best director trophy from the hands of “Anatomy of a Fall” director Justine Triet, made a brief speech thanking his “whole team.” “It is not an act of ownership. It’s a declaration of love. The same goes for the actresses. My darling Zoé, my darling Carla, My darling Adriana who is not here, Selena who is not here. I loved working with you, I love you.”
While he was back on stage upon winning best film, Audiard didn’t make a final speech and let his producers, Valerie Schermann and Pascal Caucheteux, have the last words. Across the Atlantic, “Emilia Perez”s chances of winning best picture at the Oscars have evaporated due to the scandal sparked by the discovery of Gascon’s offensive tweets. But back in France, Audiard is considered one of the country’s most celebrated filmmakers so the backlash hasn’t had the same impact as in the U.S.
A pair of epic French blockbusters, “The Count of Monte Cristo,” adapted from Alexandre Dumas’ literary classic and starring Pierre Niney; and “Beating Hearts,” Gilles Lellouche’s sprawling crime romance starring Adele Exarchopoulos and Francois Civil, were leading the race with 14 and 13 nominations respectively. “The Count of Monte Cristo” won best costume and set design; while “Beating Hearts” won best supporting actor for Alain Chabat. While Niney or “Monsieur Aznavour” actor Tahar Rahim were expected to win best actor, the prize went to Karim Leklou for his work in “Jim’s Story,” directed by Arnaud and Jean-Marie Larrieu.
“A Little Something Extra,” a smash hit comedy featuring non-professional actors with disabilities which sold nearly 11 million admissions, was nominated for best film but lost to Louise Courvoisier’s “Holy Cow,” a drama set in rural France which also won best female newcomer for Ma?wène Barthélémy.
Likely the most timely and politically minded movie of this year’s race, Boris Lojkine’s “Souleymane’s Story” was nominated for eight Cesar Awards, and won four, including best male newcomer for Abou Sangare who stars a Guinean immigrant navigating the streets of Paris where he works as a bike courier ahead of his asylum interview. Sangare delivered the ceremony’s first emotional moment when he spoke about how his work in “Souleyman’s Journey” has changed his life. Just last month, he finally secured a visa in France on his fourth attempt. “Souleymane’s Story” also won best supporting actress for Nina Meurisse, and best original script, as well as best editing.
Other highlights included the presence of Catherine Deneuve on stage as ceremony president who paid tribute to Ukraine and reminisced about being encouraged to start acting at an early age by her sister, Fran?oise Dorléac, who was herself an actress and died in 1967; and the honorary tribute to Julia Roberts, whose award will be given to her by Clive Owen, her co-star in “Closer” and “Duplicity.”
The tribute included retrospective of clips from Roberts’ best known films including “Pretty Women” and “Erin Brockovich” and “My Best Friend’s Wedding,” but the actress quipped that she “didn’t
recognize half of that work.” “It has been incredible. It has been many years where I’ve had the opportunity, every day, to experience my dream. I’m grateful for the people that I have allowed me to live this dream,” Roberts said, adding that the “people I’m the most grateful for, who I owe the most, is my husband and my three beautiful children.” She also thanked Deneuve for “being born” and making the world of movies a better place.”
While presenting Roberts with the award, Owen said “she’s often talked about as having great chemistry with her co-stars (…) and it’s simply because she makes the others better. I know this from personal experience.”
“I’ve worked with her twice, and these two experiences have marked my career and have marked me too,” Owen continued.
Roberts follows in the footsteps of last year’s honoree Christopher Nolan, and a flurry of stars and filmmakers who previously received the nod, notably George Clooney, Robert Redford, David Fincher, David Fincher, Cate Blanchett, Penelope Cruz, Robert Redford and George Clooney.
During the opening speech, Zadi quipped that Roberts could emigrate to France if she’s unhappy about the state of U.S. politics. “France is a welcoming land for political refugees,” he said, prompting her to enthusiastically bow and nod her head in approval.
The Cesar Academy is now presided over by indie French producer Patrick Sobelman and Gaumont’s senior executive Ariane Toscan Du Plantier who have revamped the voting body to make it more diverse. But after Justine Triet became the second female director to win a Cesar with “Anatomy of a Fall” (which also picked up best film, original screenplay, actress for Sandra Huller, supporting actor for Swann Arlaud and editing) in 2024, this 50th edition is marked by the absence of women filmmakers nominated for best director. There are, however, two women directors vying for best first film, Louis Courvoisier with “Holy Cow,” and Agathe Riedinger with “Wild Diamond.”
Coralie Fargeat’s “The Substance,” meanwhile, is only nominated for one Cesar award, for best foreign film, because it’s the only category the film is eligible in due to the fact that it was produced outside of France and didn’t receive an agreement from the National Film Board. “The Substance,” however, will be competing for five Academy Awards on Sunday.
Fargeat’s movie was beat by Jonathan Glazer’s “The Zone of Interest” which was released on in France on Jan. 31. While Glazer did not attend the ceremony, the movie’s French distributor, David Grumbach at Bac Films, read a fiery political speech penned by the filmmaker and referring to the war in Gaza.
The ceremony aired live on Canal+ and was spearheaded “Call My Agent!” co-helmer Cedric Klapisch who served as artistic director.
Below is the list of Cesar Awards nominations and winners (in bold):
Best Film
“The Count of Monte Cristo,” produced by Dimitri Rassam, Jer?me Seydoux, directed by Matthieu Delaporte, Alexandre de la Patelliere
“Emilia Pérez,” produced by Pascal Caucheteux, Jacques Audiard, Valerie Schermann, directed by Jacques Audiard
“The Marching Band, produced by Marc Bordure, Robert Guediguian, directed by Emmanuel Courcol
“Souleymane’s Story,” produced by Bruno Nahon, directed by Boris Lojkine
“Misericordia,” produced by Charles Gillibert, directed by Alain Guiraudie
Best Director
Gilles Lellouche for “Beating Hearts”
Matthieu Delaporte et Alexandre de la Patellière for “The Count Of Monte Cristo”
Jacques Audiard for “Emilia Pérez”
Boris Lojkine for “Souleymane’s Story”
Alain Guiraudie for “Misericordia”
Best Original Screenplay
Stéphane Demoustier for “Borgo”
Emmanuel Courcol and Irène Muscari for “The Marching Band”
Boris Lojkine et Delphine Agut for “Souleymane’s Story”
Alain Guiraudie and “Misericordia”
Louise Courvoisier and Théo Abadie for “Holy Cow”
Best Adapted Screenplay
Matthieu Delaporte and Alexandre de la Patellière for “The Count Of Monte-Cristo”
Jacques Audiard for “Emilia Pérez”
Michel Hazanavicius and Jean-Claude Grumberg for “The Most Precious Of Cargoes”
Best Actress
Adèle Exarchopoulos, “Beating Hearts”
Karla Sofía Gascón, “Emilia Pérez”
Hafsia Herzi, “Borgo”
Zoe Salda?a, “Emilia Pérez”
Hélène Vincent, “When Fall Is Coming”
Best Actor
Fran?ois Civil for “Beating Hearts”
Benjamin Lavernhe for “The Marching Band”
Karim Leklou for “Jim’s Story”
Pierre Niney for “The Count of Monte-Cristo”
Tahar Rahim for “Monsieur Aznavour”
Female Revelation
Ma?wène Barthelemy for “Holy Cow”
Malou Khebizi for “Wild Diamond”
Megan Northam for “Rabia”
Mallory Wanecque for “Beating Hearts”
Souheila Yacoub for “Planet B”
Male Revelation
Abou Sangare for “Souleymane’s Story”
Adam Bessa for “Ghost Trail”
Malik Frikah for “Beating Hearts”
Félix Kysil for “Misericordia”
Pierre Lottin for “The Marching Band”
Best Supporting Actress
élodie Bouchez for Beating Hearts
Ana?s Demoustier for The Count of Monte Cristo
Catherine Frot for Misericordia
Nina Meurisse for Souleymane’s Story
Sarah Suco for The Marching Band
Best Supporting Actor
David Alaya for Misericordia
Bastien Bouillon for The Count of Monte Cristo
Alain Chabat for “Beating Hearts“
Jacques Develay for Misericordia
Laurent Lafitte for The Count of Monte Cristo
Best First Film
“Wild Diamond” by Agathe Riedinger
“Ghost Trail” by Jonathan Millet
“The Kingdom” by Julien Colonna
“A Little Something Extra” by Artus
“Holy Cow” by Louise Courvoisier
Best Foreign Film
“Anora” by Sean Baker
“The Seed of The Sacred Fig Tree” by Mohammad Rasoulof
“The Apprentice” by Ali Abbasi
“The Substance” by Coralie Fargeat
“The Zone Of Interest” by Jonathan Glazer
Best Animated Feature
“Flow” by Gint Zilbalodis
“The Most Precious of Cargoes” by Michel Hazanavicius
“Savages” by Claude Barras
Best Documentary
“The Belle from Gaza” by Yolande Zauberman.
“Bye Bye Tiberias” by Lina Soualem
“Dahomey” by Mati Diop
“Ernest Cole: Lost and Found” by Raoul Peck
“The Bertrand’s Farm” by Gilles Perret
“Madame Hofmann” by Sébastien Lifshitz
Best Sound
Cédric Deloche, Gwennolé Le Borgne, Jon Goc and Marc Doisne for “Beating Hearts”
David Rit, Gwennolé Le Borgne, Olivier Touche, Laure-Anne Darras, Marion Papinot, Marc Doisne and Samuel Delorme for “The Count of Monte Cristo”
Erwan Kerzanet, Aymeric Devoldère, Cyril Holtz and Niels Barletta for “Emilia Pérez”
Pascal Armant, Sandy Notarianni and Niels Barletta for “The Marching Band”
Marc-Olivier Brullé, Pierre Bariaud, Charlotte Butrak and Samuel A?choun for “Souleymane’s Story”
Best Cinematography
Laurent Tangy for Beating Hearts
Nicolas Bolduc for The Count of Monte Cristo
Paul Guilhaume for Emilia Pérez
Tristan Galand for Souleymane’s Story
Claire Mathon for Misericordia
Best Editing
Simon Jacquet for “Beating Hearts”
Célia Lafitedupont for “The Count of Monte Cristo”
Juliette Welfling for “Emilia Pérez”
Guerric Catala for “The Marching Band”
Xavier Sirven for “Souleymane’s Story”
Best Costumes
Isabelle Pannetier for “Beating Hearts”
Thierry Delettre for “The Count of Monte Cristo”
Virginie Montel for “Emilia Pérez”
Isabelle Mathieu for “Monsieur Aznavour”
Ana?s Romand for “The Divine Sarah Bernhardt”
Best Production Design
Jean-Philippe Moreau for “Beating Hearts”
Stéphane Taillasson for “The Count of Monte Cristo”
Emmanuelle Duplay for “Emilia Pérez”
Stéphane Rozenbaum for “Monsieur Aznavour”
Olivier Radot for “The Divine Sarah Bernhardt”
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