Roman Polanski has won best director at France's Cesar awards, prompting numerous walkouts such as nominee Adele Haenel, star of "Portrait of a Lady on Fire."
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Neither Polanski nor the cast and crew of "An Officer And A Spy" was on hand at the awards ceremony in Paris on Friday.
Polanski said on Thursday that he would skip the celebration to avoid being "lynched," but that didn't prevent a protest by more than 100 people in front the venue by the advocacy group Osez le Feminisme.
Nominated for 12 awards, "An Officer And A Spy," Polanski's latest film took home best adapted screenplay (for Polanski and Robert Harris) and costume. The film previously won best director at the Lumiere Awards, France's equivalent to the Golden Globes, and the Silver Lion at Venice.
The film's producer Alain Goldman said on Friday that the team would boycott the ceremony due to what he perceived as "an escalation of inappropriate and violent language and behaviour." Goldman referred to the comment made by French culture minister Franck Riester on Thursday that "an award for Roman Polanski would give a wrong symbol."
The nominations for Polanski's film sparked outrage and contributed in large parts to the crisis that lead the 21-member board of the org overseeing the Cesar Academy to resign en masse.
The Cesars were also heavily criticised for shutting out feminist personalities such as director Claire Denis and author Virginie Despentes from one of recent gala events preceding the ceremony.
Haenel, the star of "Portrait Of A Lady On Fire" and one of France's top actors, seemed like a shoe-in for the best actress nod but the award went to Anais Desmoustier for "Alice And The Mayor." The snub for Haenel raised eyebrows iconsidering that the actor has been at the forefront of France's #MeToo movement after alleging harassment by French director Christophe Ruggia from the age of 12.
"Les Miserables" won best picture as well as the people's choice prize, best male newcomer (for Alexis Manenti) and best editing.
Since showing at Cannes Film Festival where it won the jury prize, "Les Miserables" went on to win a Goya Award, and was nominated for an Oscar and a Golden Globe. The film is inspired by the 2005 French riots and follows three cops who find themselves overrun during the course of an arrest in a project.
Australian Associated Press
