French Oscars turn political over virus shutdown

530

PARIS, March 13, 2021 (BSS/AFP) – There was a fiercely political air at
France’s annual celebration of cinema, Les Cesars, on Friday as frustrations
were unleashed over the months-long shutdown of theatres.

The country has seen mounting protests in recent days over the closure of
cultural sites, with several theatres occupied by activists and students.

That frustration was centre stage at Friday’s awards, with actress Corinne
Masiero stripping naked with the words “No culture, no future” written across
her front as she presented the costume award.

Others used the stage to confront the government over its decision to keep
cinemas shut since October, even as most other businesses have reopened.

“My children can go to Zara but not the cinema… it’s incomprehensible,”
said Stephane Demoustier as he picked up the Cesar for best screenplay for
“The Girl With a Bracelet”.

The mood was set from the opening monologue, as mistress of ceremonies
Marina Fois launched a scathing attack on Culture Minister Roselyne Bachelot.

“The minister hasn’t done nothing… Madame Bachelot, you released a book
with your recipe for pasta and gorgonzola,” the actress joked, before
striking a sad note to conclude: “What we miss is what unites us, the
emotions that we experience together.”

Also hanging heavy over the ceremony was the memory of last year’s
disasterous event, in which the decision to award veteran Polish director
Roman Polanski — accused of multiple sexual assaults and the statutory rape
of a 13-year-old girl — led to stars walking out and police teargassing
protesters outside.

The entire Cesar academy board resigned in the build-up to the 2020
ceremony due to the uproar over Polanski’s nominations for his film “An
Officer and a Spy”, which many saw as proof of the French industry’s failure
to respond to the #MeToo movement.

– ‘Played fairly’ –

This year’s first awards signalled that the academy was keen to embrace
calls for greater ethnic diversity, with the most promising actor and actress
awards going to Jean-Pascal Zadi and Fathia Youssouf.

Zadi’s film, “Tout simplement noir”, plays on racist cliches about black
people in France, while 14-year-old Youssouf won for her part in the
controversial Netflix film “Mignonnes” about teenage girls caught between the
pressures of Senegalese society and social media.

“The rules of the game are changing, not so that the game stops, but so
that it can be played fairly this time,” said host Roschdy Zem at the start
of the evening.

But the big winner on the night was “Bye Bye Morons”, a comedy drama about
a seriously ill woman searching for her long-lost child, which took home
seven awards including best film and best director for Albert Dupontel.

Elsewhere, the foreign film award went to Danish cult favourite Thomas
Vinterberg for “Another Round” starring Mads Mikkelsen as a binge-drinking
high school teacher.

There were no major controversies to match Polanski’s inclusion last year,
though some noted that much more work was needed on equality given the
presence of only one woman in each of the best film and best director
categories.

Much of the drama this year has been behind the scenes, as the academy
scrambled to rebuild itself and its reputation with a new board under
Veronique Cayla, former head of cultural channel Arte, and director Eric
Toledano.