César Awards: ‘Timbuktu’ Best Film; Kristen Stewart In Historic Supporting Actress Win

2ND UPDATE, 4:50 PM PT: At nearly four hours, tonight’s César Awards ceremony was one of the longest I can remember, but oddly also one of the most entertaining. Host Edouard Baer kept things moving for the Canal Plus broadcast even if he started to sweat as things started to draw out. Nevertheless, the Césars are often full of surprises and this show was no different. Leading nominee Saint Laurent left with only one prize out of 10 while Oscar nominated Timbuktu swept seven of the eight categories in which it had a stake. Those included Best Film and Best Director for Abderrahmane Sissako who opted to stay in France tonight and miss tomorrow’s Foreign Film Symposium that Mark Johnson is holding with Oscar nominated directors in LA. Timbuktu is the first film submitted to the Oscars from Mauritania, but it’s also a French co-production which explains a lot of the love here tonight.

But there was also an American twist to the proceedings this evening as Kristen Stewart became the first American actress to win a César. She already had the distinction of being the first nominated as Best Supporting Actress. (Mezzo-soprano Julia Migenes was the only other U.S. actress ever nominated for a César – in her case for lead in 1984’s Carmen.) Stewart pulled off tonight’s win for Olivier Assayas’ Cannes pic Clouds Of Sils Maria starring Juliette Binoche whose assistant Stewart plays in the film.

Also making an appearance this evening was Sean Penn who was given an Honorary César. An emotional Marion Cotillard presented the actor/director with the trophy after he received a several-minute standing ovation inside Paris’s Théâtre du Châtelet. He spoke of his affinity for French film, saying, “We’re jaded about what we do back home,” but whenever he comes to France, the cinema is a sort of “ray of sunshine.”

1ST UPDATE, 2:52 PM PT: Oscar nominee Timbuktu won in seven out of eight possible categories at France’s César Awards tonight, including Best Film and Best Director for Abderrahmane Sissako. It was not the most nominated title coming in — that was Bertrand Bonello’s Saint Laurent which ultimately won one prize, for costumes. Perhaps the biggest surprise of the night was a historic win for Clouds Of Sils Maria‘s Kristen Stewart who was the first American ever nominated as Best Supporting Actress — and won. MORE

PREVIOUS, 12 PM PT: Refresh for latest… France’s 40th César Awards are kicking off in Paris this evening to honor the local film industry’s top achievements of 2014 — and there’s a historic American element this year, too, in the form of Kristen Stewart. This could be one of the most-viewed ceremonies ever if the KStew/Twilight faithful tune in to see whether she wins in the Best Supporting Actress race for Clouds Of Sils Maria. Stewart is at the Théâtre du Châtelet ce soir and is already the first American ever nominated in the category. Leading the overall nominees for the French equivalent of the Oscar is Bertrand Bonello’s Saint Laurent with 10 mentions, followed by Thomas Cailley’s Cannes Directors’ Fortnight title Les Combattants with nine, and Oscar nominee Timbuktu with eight. (So that he could attend tonight, I hear Timbuktu helmer Abderrahmane Sissako had to opt out of the annual Foreign Film Symposium that Mark Johnson does with nominated directors tomorrow morning in LA for the Academy.) Another Oscar nominee, Marion Cotillard, up for a Best Actress César for Two Days, One Night, is in attendance.

Other notable nominees include box office hit La Famille Bélier. The Eric Lartigau-directed feelgood picture about an aspiring singer whose parents are deaf, has six nominations and has sold over 6M tickets since December 17. In the Foreign Film race are Oscar nominees, Boyhood, Ida and The Grand Budapest Hotel, along with last year’s Oscar winner 12 Years A Slave, and Cannes pics Two Days, One Night and Mommy. Sean Penn is the honorary César recipient tonight. Follow along for the winners which I’ll update as they are announced:

Best Film
Timbuktu, dir: Abderrahmane Sissako

Best Actress
Adèle Haenel, Les Combattants

Best Adapted Screenplay
Cyril Gely, Volker Schlöndorff – Diplomatie

Best Actor
Pierre Niney, Yves Saint Laurent

Best Foreign Film
Mommy, dir Xavier Dolan

Best Director
Abderrahmane Sissako, Timbuktu

Best Supporting Actress
Kristen Stewart, Clouds Of Sils Maria

Best Short Film
La Femme De Rio, dirs: Emma Luchini, Nicolas Rey

Best Documentary
Salt Of The Earth, dirs: Wim Wenders, Juliano Ribeiro Salgado

Best Editing
Nadia Ben Rachid, Timbuktu

Best Set Design
Thierry Flamand, La Belle Et La Bête

Best Original Screenplay
Abderrahmane Sissako, Kessen Tall – Timbuktu

Best Costumes
Anaïs Romand, Saint-Laurent

Best Newcomer (Male)
Kevin Azaïs, Les Combattants

Best Animated Film
Minuscule – La Vallée Des Fourmis Perdues, dirs: Thomas Szabo and Hélène Giraud

Best Animated Short
Les Petits Cailloux, dir: Chloé Mazlo

Best Score
Amine Bouhafa, Timbuktu

Best Supporting Actor
Reda Kateb, Hippocrate

Best Debut Feature
Les Combattants, dir: Thomas Cailley, prod: Pierre Guyard

Best Cinematography
Sofian El Fani, Timbuktu

Best Sound
Philippe Welsh, Roman Dymny, Thierry Delor – Timbuktu

Best Newcomer (Female)
Louane Emera, La Famille Bélier

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