Florence Foresti may have done her best for these César 2020, it is clear that this ceremony had the air of a funeral vigil… Focus on this evening where cinema took a back seat.
Foresti puts his feet in the dish!
"We have to settle a file otherwise we will have a problem during the ceremony … There are twelve moments when we will have a problem!"
These are the words of the comedian, who knew she was waiting at the turn for this ceremony. It must be said that circumstances did not give him a gift! Polanski polemic, collective resignation from the Caesar academy, popular mistrust more virulent than ever… Poor Florence had to weather a storm before the evening had even begun. And it is clear that this one has not demerited. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LTdEPegDPWk
"I decided that Atchoum was not big enough to overshadow French cinema and the rest of the selection"
Strong words, which remind us that despite the controversies, the César are there above all to honor Cinema. It is therefore after having evoked these "twelve worries" (ie the 12 nominations of "Atchoum") that Foresti made a summary of the other nominees such as Les Misérables, Roubaix une Lumière or Grâce à Dieu… But let's admit it: despite the strenuous efforts of the mistress of ceremonies, this evening did not succeed in getting rid of the controversies. Even worse: these controversies have grown!
Polanski's Black Shadow
Should we "separate Man from Artist"? The Academy of Caesar clearly answered "Yes"! This is how Roman Polanski received the César for Best Director for his film J'accuse… A reward that did not pass with the actress Adèle Haenel. Recall that the actress denounced some time ago the "repeated touching" of director Christophe Ruggia towards her. It is therefore logical that Adèle Haenel decided to leave the room, not failing to declare:
"It's shame! Shame!"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qlg_QUUcT8g And how to blame her, when after so much debate and scandal, the academy decides to personally reward Roman Polanski? Because that is the problem: it is not J'accuse that has been rewarded. It is not the Film but the Man who was honored with this César for Best Director. And perhaps this is the biggest mistake of this ceremony. Rewarding J'accuse for its costume or adaptation work is understandable. After all, a film is a collective work and Polanski's shadow doesn't have to affect the rest of the team. However, rewarding Roman Polanski personally is a very explicit message from the academy, which has angered many people. Adèle Haenel is not the only one to have been outraged by this award, since Florence Foresti reacted on Instagram in one word: "Disgusted".
And the Ciné in all this?
We forget it a little, but the César are above all there to celebrate Cinema (yes, if we swear to you!). But the deafening noise of the various controversies did not really allow the nominated films to shine. So what about rewards? 
Les Misérables is the big winner of this ceremony since the work leaves with the César for Best Film, Best Editing or Best Male Newcomer. Parasite leaves again with an award, since this time it received the César for Best Foreign Film. Roschdy Zem and Anaïs Demoustier walked away with the statuettes for Best Actor and Best Actress respectively. As for the Best Supporting Roles, Swann Arlaud and Fanny Ardant were awarded. For those who want the complete list, here it is:
- Best Male Newcomer: Alexis Manenti for Les Misérables
- Best Set Design: Stéphane Rozenbaum for La Belle Epoque
- Best Costume : Pascaline Chavanne for J'accuse
- Most Promising Actress: Lyna Khoudri in Papicha
- Best Animated Short Film: The Night of Plastic Bags by Gabriel Harel
- Best Animated Feature Film: I Lost My Body by Jérémy Clapin
- Best First Film: Papicha by Mounia Meddour
- Best Documentary Film : M by Yolande Zauberman
- Best Short Film : Pile-poil by Lauriane Escaffre and Yvonnick Muller
- César du Public: Les Misérables by Ladj Ly
- Best Sound: Le Chant du loup – Nicolas Cantin, Thomas Desjonquères, Raphaël Mouterde, Olivier Goinard, Randy Thom
- Best Adapted Screenplay: J'accuse by Roman Polanski
- Best Original Screenplay: La Belle Epoque by Nicolas Bedos
- Best Editing: Les Misérables by Flora Volpelière
- Best Photo: Claire Mathon for Portrait of the Girl on Fire
- Best Foreign Film: Parasite by Bong Joon Ho
- Best Original Score: Dan Lévy – I Lost My Body
- Best Supporting Actress: Fanny Ardant for La Belle Epoque
- Best Supporting Actor: Swann Arlaud for Thanks to God
- Best Actor: Roschdy Zem for Roubaix, a light
- Best Actress: Anaïs Demoustier for Alice et le maire
- Best Director: Roman Polanski for J'accuse
- Best Film : Les Misérables by Ladj Ly
This 2020 César Ceremony is likely to go down in history, but not necessarily for the right reasons… It remains to be seen whether the replacement of the board of directors will make up for this year's fiasco, by putting cinema back in the spotlight.
