UPDATE, WRITETHRU: France’s biggest movie awards night has drawn to a close with Custody (Jusqu’à La Garde) crowned Best Picture. Originally screened in Venice and Toronto in 2017, the Xavier Legrand-directed drama is a story of domestic abuse that stars Denis Ménochet and Léa Drucker, the latter won Best Actress…

France's Académie des Arts et Techniques du Cinéma unveiled its nominations for the César Awards this morning in Paris. The races for the country's Oscar equivalent are led by Xavier Legrand's feature debut Jusqu'à La Garde (Custody) and Gilles Lellouche's Le Grand Bain (Sink Or Swim) with 10 mentions each. They are…

UPDATE: For the second year in a row, France’s César Awards have thumbed their nose at the Oscars. Robin Campillo’s lauded activist drama BPM scored the Best Film prize tonight in Paris, along with wins for editing, original screenplay, supporting actor, score and more. The Cannes Grand Jury Prize laureate had earlier…

A day after a group of about 100 French artists launched the #MaintenantOnAgit (Now We Act) campaign to facilitate access to justice for female victims of violence, a group of 300 artists and executives is backing the “5050 Pour 2020” (50/50 by 2020) movement. Among the founding signatories are Céline Sciamma, Lea Seyd…

In a surprising turn of events, art will meet commerce — and comedy — going forward at France's César Awards. The Académie des Arts et Techniques du Cinéma today said it has created a new prize for the annual ceremony which will go to the French film with the most ticket sales in the previous year. The Césars, France…

UPDATE, writethru: France’s Académie des Arts et Techniques du Cinéma unveiled its nominations for the César Awards this morning in Paris. The races for the country’s Oscar equivalent are led by Cannes Grand Jury Prize winner BPM (120 Battements Par Minute) and Albert Dupontel’s drama Au Revoir Là-Haut with 13 each…

Controversial Hindi film Padmaavat has been banned in Malaysia. The Bollywood epic began worldwide release on Thursday, grossing an estimated $16.8M in India and setting a new record in North America this weekend. The Deepika Padukone-starrer evidently had one screening in Malaysia, but according to local reports was…

UPDATE, writetrhu with Barack Obama video: Three days before France heads to the polls to determine the country’s next president — and the morning after a scathing debate between candidates Marine Le Pen and Emmanuel Macron — the Académie des Arts et Techniques du Cinéma has thrown its support firmly behind the…

George Clooney and Jean Dujardin brought a much-appreciated comedic diversion into the three-hour-plus César Awards ceremony this evening in Paris — even while delivering a sometimes serious message. Dujardin presented pal Clooney with an Honorary César at France's equivalent of the Oscars, then helped "translate" his…

UPDATE, WRITETHRU: Paul Verhoeven's psychological drama Elle triumphed at the César Awards tonight in Paris, scooping Best Film and Best Actress for Isabelle Huppert. The wins come despite Elle not having made the Foreign Lanuguage Oscar shortlist but as Huppert heads to Los Angeles for tomorrow's Indie Spirit Awards…

Cinesite Studios has entered into a partnership with the Harold Lloyd Estate and Comic Animations to adapt Lloyd's films into a series of animated features. The legendary actor and filmmaker made nearly 200 movies between 1914 and 1947, pioneering thrill sequences and stunts, and ranking with Charlie Chaplin and…

George Clooney has been selected by France’s Académie des Arts et Techniques du Cinéma as the recipient of this year’s Honorary César Award. The Académie will pay tribute to the multi-hyphenate for his “dazzling talent as an actor, director, scriptwriter and producer — and above all, his artistic and spiritual…