If the Caesars are the French equivalent of the Oscars, the French cinema can also count on its own version of the Golden Globes, the trophies awarded by foreign journalists based in Hollywood who give an idea of the essential films of the award season.
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Bringing together 123 critical journalists working for the foreign press, the Lumière Awards were created in 1995 at the initiative of Daniel Toscan du Plantier and the English journalist Edward Behr.
The ceremony, which will be broadcast live on Canal + on January 19, is a good indicator of the feature films that could shine at the Césars.
And for the Prix Lumière jurors, the favorites are called
Two, The things we say, the things we do, Slalom, Goodbye idiots
and
Summer 85
.
These films topped the nominations.
The first film by Italian filmmaker Filippo Meneghetti,
Deux,
which portrays the secret romance between two neighbors in their seventies in the form of a thriller, leads the race with six quotes for best film, best direction and best performance feminine for these two stars, Barbara Sukowa and Martine Chevallier.
The duo will not have the easy part in front of Laure Calamy, sparkling mistress betrayed in
Antoinette in the Cévennes
, the lover of the
Things that said, of the things that
Camelia Jordana and Virginie Efira did (
Adieu les cons
) and Emmanuelle Devos (
Perfumes
).
This recognition of
Deux
has something to rejoice at the CNC who chose the feature film to represent France at the Oscars.
The delicate mockery of
The Things We
Say,
The Things We Do
comes in second with five nominations, including best film, best director and screenplay for Emmanuel Mouret.
Tied, Albert Dupontel's satire
Adieu les cons
, the drama on sexual abuse in sport
Slalom
and the chronicle of a summer love at first sight
Summer 85
collect four quotes each.
The trophy for best film will be played between
Two, The things we say, the things we do, Goodbye idiots, The girl with the bracelet
and
Summer 85
.
The best actor trophy will have to decide between Sami Bouajila (
A son
), Jonathan Cohen (Huge), Albert Dupontel (
Goodbye the idiots
), Nicolas Maury (
Rag boy
) and Jérémie Rénier (
Slalom
).
Solidarity appointments
As for the best hopes, the Lumière prizes put forward: Noée Abita (
Slalom
), Najla Ben Abdallah
(A son
), Nisrin Erradi (
Adam
) Mélissa Guers (
The girl with the bracelet
), Fathia Youssouf (
Mignonnes
).
And among the boys: Guang Huo (
The night came
), Félix Lefebvre and Benjamin Voisin (
Summer 85
), Djibril Vancoppenolle
(Small country
), Alexandre Wetter (
Miss
), Jean-Pascal Zadi (
Simply black)
.
The best direction section will again be very masculine this year.
Despite the presence of Caroline Vignal (
Antoinette in the Cévennes
) and Maïmouna Doucouré (
Mignonnes
), only Maïwenn with
DNA
(who, no doubt a little disappointment for her, won her only nomination) sneaks alongside Emmanuel Mouret, Albert Dupontel , Filippo Meneghetti and François Ozon.
The inclusion in the
slalom
nominations list
of Charlène Favier and
The Man Who Sold His Skin
of Kaouther Ben Hania is highly symbolic.
These films have seen their theatrical release postponed to 2021 due to the extension of the cinema closings.
The Lumière Academy wanted to show solidarity.
In this atypical year, 77 films, whose theatrical release scheduled for 2020, were eligible for the votes of the Lumière Prize jurors.