France’s Cesar Awards Nominations: ‘The Count of Monte Cristo,’ ‘Beating Hearts,’ ‘Emilia Perez’ Lead the Race

variety.com:

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent ‘The Count of Monte Cristo,’ a three-hour epic adventure adapted from Alexandre Dumas’s literary classic, is leading the race at the Cesar Awards, France’s equivalent to the Oscars, with a whooping 14 nominations. ‘Beating Hearts,’ Gilles Lellouche’s sprawling crime romance, follows shortly with 13 nominations.

It’s worth noting that these two Cesar frontrunners, “The Count of Monte Cristo,” directed by Matthieu Delaporte and Alexandre de La Patellière, and “Beating Hearts,” also stood as France’s second and third highest grossing local films in 2024. “A Little Something Extra,” a comedy featuring non-professional actors with disabilities which sold nearly 11 million admissions, earned a best first film nomination for Arthus, who directed and co-stars in the movie.

While a favorite in the Oscar race, Jacques Audiard’s ‘Emilia Perez‘ is nominated for 12 Cesar Awards, including best film and actress for Karla Sofía Gascón and Zoe Saldana.

The French awards show has highlighted international performers before, notably Kristen Stewart, who won a Cesar nod in 2015 for her supporting role in Olivier Assayas’ “Cloud of Sils Maria.” Another Oscar contender, Coralie Fargeat’s “The Substance” is only nominated for a single Cesar award (for best foreign film), while it’s vying for five Academy Awards. “The Substance” is indeed not eligible in most categories at the Cesar Awards due to the fact that it was mainly produced out of France, by Working Title — which is not the case with “Emilia Perez,” produced by Paris-based Why Not Productions.