45th César Awards

The 45th César Awards ceremony, presented by the Académie des Arts et Techniques du Cinéma, took place on 28 February 2020, at the Salle Pleyel in Paris to honour the best French films of 2019. Sandrine Kiberlain presided, and Florence Foresti as the host.
Controversy and protests dogged the Academy in the months running up to the ceremony. The entire board of directors of the César Academy resigned on 13 February 2020, in response to complaints over the opaqueness of the process and the powerlessness of normal Academy members, who do not vote for nor otherwise exercise any control over the leadership of the Academy. The other issue of protest was the 12 nominations received by Roman Polanski's J'Accuse, the most nominations of any eligible film. French feminists protested heaping honors on Polanski, who was convicted of raping a minor in California in 1978 but never served his sentence, and has additionally been accused of other incidents of rape.

Winners and nominees

The nominees for the 45th César Awards were announced on 29 January 2020.

Les Misérables − Produced by Toufik Ayadi and Christophe Barral; Directed by Ladj LyLa Belle Époque − Produced by François Kraus and Denis Pineau-Valencienne; Directed by Nicolas BedosBy the Grace of God − Produced by Nicolas Altmayer and Éric Altmayer; Directed by François OzonThe Specials − Produced by Nicolas Duval Adassovsky; Directed by Éric Toledano and Olivier NakacheAn Officer and a Spy − Produced by Alain Goldman; Directed by Roman PolanskiPortrait of a Lady on Fire − Produced by Bénédicte Couvreur; Directed by Céline SciammaOh Mercy! − Produced by Pascal Caucheteux and Grégoire Sorlat; Directed by Arnaud Desplechin	Roman Polanski − An Officer and a Spy Nicolas Bedos − La Belle Époque François Ozon − By the Grace of God Éric Toledano and Olivier Nakache − The Specials Ladj Ly − Les Misérables Céline Sciamma − Portrait of a Lady on Fire Arnaud Desplechin − Oh Mercy!
*Roschdy Zem − Oh Mercy!* as Yacoub Daoud** Daniel Auteuil − La Belle Époque as Victor Drumond Damien Bonnard − Les Misérables as Stéphane Ruiz Vincent Cassel − The Specials as Bruno Haroche Jean Dujardin − An Officer and a Spy as Marie-Georges Picquart Reda Kateb − The Specials as Malik Melvil Poupaud − By the Grace of God as Alexandre Guérin	*Anaïs Demoustier − Alice and the Mayor* as Alice Heimann** Eva Green − Proxima as Sarah Loreau Adèle Haenel − Portrait of a Lady on Fire as Héloïse Chiara Mastroianni − On a Magical Night as Maria Mortemart Noémie Merlant − Portrait of a Lady on Fire as Marianne Doria Tillier − La Belle Époque as Margot Karin Viard − Chanson douce as Louise
*Swann Arlaud − By the Grace of God* as Emmanuel Thomassin** Grégory Gadebois − An Officer and a Spy as Hubert Henry Louis Garrel − An Officer and a Spy as Alfred Dreyfus Benjamin Lavernhe − Mon inconnue as Félix / Gumpar Denis Ménochet − By the Grace of God as François Debord	*Fanny Ardant − La Belle Époque* as Marianne Drumond** Josiane Balasko − By the Grace of God as Irène Laure Calamy − Only the Animals as Alice Farange Sara Forestier − Oh Mercy! as Marie Carpentier Hélène Vincent − The Specials as Hélène
*Alexis Manenti − Les Misérables* as Chris** Anthony Bajon − Au nom de la terre as Thomas Jarjeau Benjamin Lesieur − The Specials as Joseph Liam Pierron − La Vie scolaire as Yanis Bensaadi Djebril Zonga − Les Misérables as Gwada	*Lyna Khoudri − Papicha* as Nedjma 'Papicha'** Luàna Bajrami − Portrait of a Lady on Fire as Sophie Céleste Brunnquell − Les Éblouis as Camille Lourmel Nina Meurisse − Camille as Camille Lepage Mame Bineta Sané − Atlantics as Ada
La Belle Époque − Nicolas BedosBy the Grace of God − François OzonThe Specials − Éric Toledano and Olivier NakacheLes Misérables − Ladj Ly, Giordano Gederlini and Alexis ManentiPortrait of a Lady on Fire − Céline Sciamma	An Officer and a Spy − Roman Polanski and Robert Harris based on the novel by Robert HarrisAdults in the Room − Costa-Gavras based on the book Adults in the Room. My Battle with Europe's Deep Establishment by Yanis VaroufakisI Lost My Body − Jérémy Clapin et Guillaume Laurant based on the novel Happy Hand by Guillaume LaurantOh Mercy! − Arnaud Desplechin and Léa Mysius based on the documentary Roubaix, commissariat central by Mosco BoucaultOnly the Animals − Dominik Moll and Gilles Marchand based on the novel Seules les bêtes by Colin Niel
Papicha − Mounia MeddourAtlantics − Mati Diop Au nom de la terre − Édouard BergeonThe Wolf's Call − Antonin Baudry Les Misérables − Ladj Ly	Portrait of a Lady on Fire − Claire MathonLa Belle Époque − Nicolas BolducAn Officer and a Spy − Paweł EdelmanLes Misérables − Julien PoupardOh Mercy! − Irina Lubtchansky
Les Misérables − Flora VolpelièreBy the Grace of God − Laure Gardette An Officer and a Spy − Hervé de LuzeLa Belle Époque − Anny Danché and Florent VassaultThe Specials − Dorian Rigal-Ansou	The Wolf's Call − Nicolas Cantin, Thomas Desjonquères, Raphaëll Mouterde, Olivier Goinard and Randy ThomLa Belle Époque − Rémi Daru, Séverin Favriau and Jean-Paul HurierAn Officer and a Spy − Lucien Balibar, Aymeric Devoldère, Cyril Holtz and Niels BarlettaLes Misérables − Arnaud Lavaleix, Jérôme Gonthier and Marco CasanovaPortrait of a Lady on Fire − Julien Sicart, Valérie de Loof and Daniel Sobrino
I Lost My Body − Dan LevyAtlantics − Fatima Al QadiriAn Officer and a Spy − Alexandre Desplat Les Misérables − Marco Casanova and Kim ChapironOh Mercy! − Grégoire Hetzel	An Officer and a Spy − Pascaline ChavanneLa Belle Époque − Emmanuelle YouchnovskiEdmond − Thierry DelettreJoan of Arc − Alexandra CharlesPortrait of a Lady on Fire − Dorothée Guiraud
La Belle Époque − Stéphane RozenbaumThe Wolf's Call − Benoît BarouhEdmond − Franck SchwarzAn Officer and a Spy − Jean RabassePortrait of a Lady on Fire − Thomas Grézaud	M − Yolande Zauberman68, mon Père − Samuel BigiaouiLa Cordillère des songes − Patricio GuzmánLourdes − Thierry Demaizière and Alban TeurlaiWonder boy Olivier Rousteing, né sous X − Anissa Bonnefont
I Lost My Body − Jérémy ClapinThe Bears' Famous Invasion of Sicily − Lorenzo MattottiThe Swallows of Kabul − Zabou Breitman and Éléa Gobbé-Mévellec	La nuit des sacs plastiques − Gabriel HarelThis Magnificent Cake! − Marc James Roels and Emma de SwaefJe sors acheter des cigarettes − Osman CerfonMake It Soul − Jean-Charles Mbotti Malolo
Pile Poil − Lauriane Escaffre and Yvonnick MullerBeautiful Loser − Maxime RoyLe Chant d'Ahmed − Foued MansourLe Chien bleu − Fanny LiatardNefta Football Club − Yves Piat	Parasite – Directed by Bong Joon-hoPain and Glory – Directed by Pedro AlmodóvarYoung Ahmed – Directed by Luc Dardenne and Jean-Pierre DardenneJoker – Directed by Todd PhillipsLola – Directed by Laurent MicheliOnce Upon a Time in Hollywood – Directed by Quentin TarantinoThe Traitor – Directed by Marco Bellocchio
Les Misérables – Ladj LyQu'est-ce qu'on a encore fait au Bon Dieu ? – Philippe de ChauveronNous finirons ensemble – Guillaume CanetThe Specials – Éric Toledano and Olivier NakacheAu nom de la terre – Édouard Bergeon

Controversies

Roman Polanski's Best Director win for An Officer and a Spy was poorly received by the audience. Few clapped, and several audience members walked out in disgust, including Best Director nominee Céline Sciamma and Best Actress nominees Adèle Haenel and Noémie Merlant.
Polanski as well as other crew members of An Officer and a Spy did not attend the ceremony. No one was there to accept the award on Polanski's behalf.