If you had told us a year ago that a Michael Haneke-directed film about the death of an elderly woman would become a contender for Best Picture, Best Foreign Lanuage Film, Best Actress and Best Director at the Oscars, we would've said you were crazy. But the provocateur's difficult, but touching and human film has managed to resonate far and wide, and while France's César Awards have pretty much zero bearing on the Oscars, it's interesting to see that Haneke's work has been just as recognized.
"Amour" won big last night, taking prizes for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress, Best Actor and Best Original Screenplay. Damn. It's a remarkable showing for the movie, and another feather in its cap after it won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival last spring. But it wasn't the only multiple award winner last night, as Jacques Audiard's "Rust And Bone" also made a strong showing, winning Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Newcomer for Matthias Schoenaerts and Original Score for Alexandre Desplat's work on the movie. And it's hard to argue with either of those films getting some awards love.
And while some corners are whining about Ben Affleck's "Argo" being a frontrunner for some hardware tomorrow night, the French had no qualms giving the movie Best Foreign Film. Check out the full list of winners below, and tune into the Oscars tomorrow night to see if "Amour" can take some surprise Oscar wins. [Deadline]
Best Picture
Amour
Director
Michael Haneke, Amour
Actress
Emmanuelle Riva, Amour
Actor
Jean-Louis Trintignant, Amour
Supporting Actress
Valérie Benguigui, What’s In A Name
Supporting Actor
Guillaume de Tonquedec, What’s In A Name
Original Screenplay
Michael Haneke, Amour
Adapted Screenplay
Jacques Audiard, Thomas Bidegain, Rust & Bone
Newcomer (Female)
Izia Higelin, Mauvaise Fille
Newcomer (Male)
Matthias Schoenaerts, Rust & Bone
Original Score
Alexandre Desplat, Rust & Bone
Sound
Antoine Deflandre, Germaine Boulay, Eric Tisserand, Cloclo
Cinematography
Romain Winding, Farewell, My Queen
Editing
Juliette Welfling, Rust & Bone
Costumes
Christian Gasc, Farewell, My Queen
Art Direction
Katia Wyszkop, Farewell, My Queen
First Film
Louise Wimmer, Cyril Mennegun
Foreign Film
Argo
Animated Film
Ernest Et Célestine, Benjamin Renner, Vincent Patar, Stéphane Aubier
Documentary
Les Invisibles, Sébastien Lifshitz
Short Film
Le Cri Du Homard, Nicolas Guiot
