In the corridors of Canal +, we breathed a big sigh of relief. In those of the Salle Pleyel, where the mistress of ceremony Florence Foresti has been rehearsing for three weeks, too. This Thursday, Roman Polanski announced in a press release that he would not go to the 45th Cesar ceremony broadcast in clear and live on Canal + this Friday from 9 p.m. A decision that he claims to have taken "with regret", for "not facing a self-proclaimed court of opinion" and "activists" who "already threaten him with a public lynching". One more twist in a soap opera that, in recent weeks, has transformed the Césars into a thriller series.
At Canal +, "we were very embarrassed"
In full swing #MeToo, it was the announcement of the twelve nominations for "J'accuse", the latest film by Roman Polanski, which raised the tension, two months after a new accusation of rape against him ... And then that one of its main challenges is "Portrait of the young girl on fire", an ode to feminism with Adèle Haenel who, for her part, revealed that she had been the victim of sexual harassment, as a teenager. In the staff of Canal +, we said "very embarrassed" by the presence of "J'accuse" at the top of the appointments. "Neither Canal + nor Florence Foresti support Polanski," had slipped us a boss of the chain, recalling that Canal + did not finance the drama on the Dreyfus affair.
The mistress of ceremonies had posted her position with her false slip during the announcement of the appointments: by reading " I am accused ... Uh I accuse ", Foresti was clearly distancing herself from her. Godmother of Women Safe, an association for the defense of women victims of violence, she would even have expressed her reluctance to host the ceremony if Roman Polanski was present.
Anti-Polanski banners and slogants
Without the Franco-Polish filmmaker, Canal + hopes to avoid an explosive situation that could have ruined the party. But will the controversy be invited in the speeches? Canal + had promised that the demonstrators would "have the right to speak, before or during the ceremony". It will finally be Place des Ternes, 300 meters from the Salle Pleyel. At the call of Dare Feminism, activists will display banners and chant anti-Polanski slogans. "We would have liked to speak on stage", bitterly regrets Céline Piques, spokesperson for OLF.
For the scene, Foresti has concocted some scathing aftershocks about the case. And we hardly imagine Adèle Haenel to ignore the subject if she wins a César. Especially since the actress declared Monday in the "New York Times": "To distinguish Polanski is to spit in the face of all the victims". But what about the other winners? And especially Jean Dujardin, Louis Garrel or Grégory Gadebois if they are rewarded for their services in "J'accuse"?
What about the actors who hand over the statuettes?
The recruitment of actors who present the Césars has been particularly complex. According to our information, Aïssa Maïga, Vincent Dedienne, Melha Bedia and Alban Ivanov will be part of the cast. And the very delicate statuette of best director will be presented by two women. Will these artists tackle Polanski? Or will they evoke the "other controversy", that which led to the resignation of the entire leadership of the Caesars?
Because a second fire has broken out in recent weeks: while the Académie des César has been violently criticized for its "opacity" and its "discriminatory practices", Alain Terzian, its president since 2003, threw in the towel on 13 February with all of its board of directors. The National Cinema Center urgently appointed an acting Caesar president this Wednesday: this Friday evening, producer Margaret Menegoz, Oscar winner for "Love" by Michael Haneke, will embody the Academy.
And since nothing will be usual, for the first time since the creation of the ceremony, there will be no Caesar of honor. For a time considered, Brad Pitt retracted.
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Casting of stars, nerves on edge, demonstrations, much awaited speeches: the ceremony, this evening, brings together all the ingredients for a fireworks display. What to boost audiences in free fall for years for the Cesars? This Friday, the ceremony will face “Koh-Lanta” on TF 1… In another setting, another story of statuettes, rivalries and clans.
