Prison drama A Prophet sweeps French Oscars
Posted By admin on March 2, 2010
Hard-hitting prison drama A Prophet has won nine awards at the Cesar
awards, the French equivalent of the Oscars.
Jacques Audiard’s film was named best movie at the ceremony, with
additional prizes going to lead actor Tahar Rahim and the director
himself.
A Prophet – about an illiterate inmate who becomes embroiled in crime
during a six-year jail term – is up for the best foreign film award at
the 2010 Oscars.
Actor Harrison Ford received a lifetime achievement prize at the Paris
event.
Isabelle Adjani was named best actress for school drama The Day of the
Skirt, while Clint Eastwood’s Gran Torino won best foreign film.
Sigourney Weaver, Gerard Depardieu and Oscar-winner Marion Cotillard
were among the stars in attendance.
A Prophet’s success follows earlier triumphs at the London Film
Festival’s inaugural awards last year and at the London Film Critics’
Circle awards last month.
Also recognised on Saturday was cast member Niels Arestrup, named best
supporting actor for his role as a Corsican gang boss.
Audiard thanked the numerous ex-prisoners who appeared as extras in the
film and helped to create its realistic atmosphere.
“We had a really exceptional cast of extras,” he said. “They forced us
to do something exceptional.”
Eric Rohmer, the pioneering New Wave director who died last month, was
remembered at the ceremony.
First presented in 1975, the Cesars are given annually by the Academie
des Arts et Techniques du Cinema.
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