French César Award Best Film Nominees
French César Award Best Film nominees
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- DirectorRobert EnricoStarsPhilippe NoiretRomy SchneiderJean BouiseDuring World War II, a peaceful French surgeon decides to ruthlessly exterminate an SS squad because of the atrocities they'd just committed in his countryside home and childhood village.1976 winner
- DirectorBertrand TavernierStarsPhilippe NoiretJean RochefortJean-Pierre MarielleA look at 18th-century France, when the authorities depravity contributed to social oppression, and the uprisings flared up one after another.1976 nominee
- DirectorJean-Charles TacchellaStarsMarie-Christine BarraultVictor LanouxMarie-France PisierTwo distant cousins meet at a wedding banquet for an elderly couple. Over time, a close friendship develops between them, but their spouses begin to think that they are more than just friends.1976 nominee
- DirectorJacques RouffioStarsMichel PiccoliGérard DepardieuJane BirkinDr. Brézé and his sons, all surgeons with limited abilities fight any competition on their sector with all means.1976 nominee
- DirectorJoseph LoseyStarsAlain DelonJeanne MoreauFrancine BergéIn German-occupied Paris, an immoral art dealer, Robert Klein, leads a life of luxury, until a copy of a Jewish newspaper brings him to the attention of the police, linking him with a mysterious doppelgänger. Will Mr. Klein clear his name?1977 winner
- DirectorBertrand TavernierStarsPhilippe NoiretMichel GalabruIsabelle HuppertAn unstable former French Sergeant commits many atrocities. A judge considers how this case could benefit or damage his career.1977 nominee
- DirectorClaude MillerStarsPatrick DewaerePatrick BouchiteyChristine PascalIn a vacation camp somewhere in the French country, 1960. Marc et Philippe are two of the counsellors. Marc is very virile, while Philippe is more reserved. A night, Marc surprises Philippe dressed and made-up like a woman. From now on, he will keep on humiliating Philippe...1977 nominee
- DirectorAndré TéchinéStarsIsabelle AdjaniGérard DepardieuMarie-France PisierThe story of a girl in love with a boxer. They plan to go abroad after making a lot of money by participating in an interview intended to discredit a politician at elections time. But the boxer is killed, and the murderer, little by little, falls in love with the girl who finally accepts him at the condition that he looks like the boxer he killed.1977 nominee
- DirectorAlain ResnaisStarsDirk BogardeEllen BurstynJohn GielgudA dying writer bases his last book on his own perception of his family.1978 winner
- DirectorClaude GorettaStarsIsabelle HuppertYves BeneytonFlorence GiorgettiA reserved young woman moves into an apartment with a young student she met while on vacation.1978 nominee
- DirectorPierre SchoendoerfferStarsJean RochefortClaude RichJacques PerrinA dying mariner, full of regret, is looking for his longtime colleague somewhere on the high seas.1978 nominee
- DirectorYves RobertStarsJean RochefortClaude BrasseurGuy BedosSequel to Pardon Mon Affaire. Four men continue to explore the fallout from their personal lives. This time they buy a house in the country, but struggle to escape their troubles.1978 nominee
- DirectorChristian de ChalongeStarsJean-Louis TrintignantCatherine DeneuveLaura KornbluhA bank employee tries to clear his name after he is unfairly fired.1979 winner
- DirectorAriane MnouchkineStarsPhilippe CaubèreMarie-Françoise AudollentFrédéric LadonneWho was Moliere? He is known everywhere as one of the world's greatest playwrights. But who was he? Born Jean-Baptiste Poquelin in 1622, the son of a prosperous tapestry maker. His mother died when he was a boy. Growing up in the teeming streets of 17th century Paris, Jean Baptiste received a good Jesuit education and was fascinated by the street fairs and traveling carnivals that flourished in spite of the religious repression and hypocrisy of those cruel times. As a young man he joined the theatrical Bejart family to establish the Illustre-Theatre, which soon went bankrupt. The troupe reformed, found patronage, and went on the road for thirteen years, performing all over France. Poquelin developed his stagecraft adapting Commedia dell Arte plots to please brutalized peasants and cynical townspeople. He also married Madeline Bejart, the widowed daughter of the troupe's founder. Later he entered into a love affair with Mme Bejart's daughter, to the dismay of all. The troupe eventually returned to Paris and, on October 24, 1658, greatly impressed the 20-year old King Louis XIV, later to be called the Sun King. Moliere's life became bound up with the magnificent court at Versailles, and with its intrigues. He wrote, staged and acted in the plays now famous all over the world. He fought with his enemies and his friends, enjoyed success followed by failure, organized court festivities and defended himself against increasingly fanatic religious authorities. Above all, his theater was taken from life as his life was theatrical.1979 nominee
- DirectorMichel DevilleStarsFrançois MarthouretClaude MarcaultPhilippe RouleauAn unnamed French intelligence service spies on and analyzes a French diplomat code name '51' to identify a method to control him.1979 nominee
- DirectorClaude SautetStarsRomy SchneiderClaude BrasseurBruno CremerA simple story about simple people. A 38 year old divorced woman (Marie), who now has a lover (Serge) but decides to leave him, abort his baby, and then returns with her ex-husband (Georges). Their daily life and of their friends, who have the same typical problems.1979 nominee
- DirectorRoman PolanskiStarsNastassja KinskiPeter FirthLeigh LawsonA strong-willed young peasant girl attracts the affection of two men.1980 winner
- DirectorHenri VerneuilStarsYves MontandMichel AlbertiniRoland AmstutzConspiracy thriller inspired by the conspiracy theories surrounding the assassination of JFK. After a fictional president is assassinated, a determined, tough prosecutor investigates the emerging conspiracy behind it.1980 nominee
- DirectorJoseph LoseyStarsRuggero RaimondiJohn MacurdyEdda MoserMozart's opera in lush sets: Don Giovanni, the infamous womanizer, kills Donna Anna's father. He is then chased by Donna Anna's fiancé, Don Ottavio, as well as Donna Elvira, one of his former conquests. But the real threat lies elsewhere.1980 nominee
- DirectorCosta-GavrasStarsYves MontandRomy SchneiderRomolo ValliTwo strangers help each other survive a night of great loss.1980 nominee
- DirectorFrançois TruffautStarsCatherine DeneuveGérard DepardieuJean PoiretIn occupied Paris, an actress married to a Jewish theater owner must keep him hidden from the Germans while doing both of their jobs.1981 winner
- DirectorAlain ResnaisStarsGérard DepardieuNicole GarciaRoger PierreThe intersecting stories of three people who face difficult choices in life-changing situations are used to illustrate the theories espoused by Henri Laborit about human behavior and the relationship between the self and society.1981 nominee
- DirectorMaurice PialatStarsIsabelle HuppertGérard DepardieuGuy MarchandA bored wife leaves her husband for an unemployed, petty criminal.1981 nominee
- DirectorJean-Luc GodardStarsIsabelle HuppertJacques DutroncNathalie BayeAn examination of sexual relationships, in which three protagonists interact in different combinations.1981 nominee
- DirectorJean-Jacques AnnaudStarsEverett McGillRon PerlmanNicholas KadiThis story takes place in prehistoric time when three tribesmen search for a new fire source.1982 winner
- DirectorClaude MillerStarsLino VenturaMichel SerraultRomy SchneiderA police inspector, suspecting an attorney of two child sex murders, has him held for a questioning session that goes on for hours.1982 nominee
- DirectorBertrand TavernierStarsPhilippe NoiretIsabelle HuppertStéphane AudranA pathetic police chief, humiliated by everyone around him, suddenly wants a clean slate in life - and resorts to drastic means to do so.1982 nominee
- DirectorClaude LelouchStarsRobert HosseinNicole GarciaGeraldine ChaplinThrough fabulous music, this movie tracks three generations of musicians and dancers from Russia, Germany, France and the U.S., from before World War II through the war and the Holocaust, to the 1980s. Their lives become intertwined through historical circumstances, and the culmination is the presence of several of them, including a former Nazi pianist and a French Jewish Holocaust survivor, at an anti-famine concert.1982 nominee
- DirectorBob SwaimStarsNathalie BayePhilippe LéotardRichard BerryPolice compel a couple of criminals to become its informants.1983 winner
- DirectorAndrzej WajdaStarsGérard DepardieuWojciech PszoniakAnne AlvaroIn 1793, as the Terror begins in France, Georges Danton, a champion-of-the-people, returns to clash against Maximilien Robespierre and his extremist party.1983 nominee
- DirectorJacques DemyStarsDominique SandaDanielle DarrieuxRichard BerryAmid an ongoing workers' strike, a steelworker falls in love with the daughter of his baroness landlady, even though both are already in relationships.1983 nominee
- DirectorJean-Luc GodardStarsIsabelle HuppertHanna SchygullaMichel PiccoliA film director has an inspirational crisis while working on the production, Passion, and struggles with the nature of work and art.1983 nominee
- DirectorEttore ScolaStarsÉtienne GuichardRégis BouquetFrancesco De RosaDance moves, music and fashion mark the passage of time inside a Paris dance hall, throughout fifty years of history.1984 winner (tie)
- DirectorMaurice PialatStarsSandrine BonnaireMaurice PialatChristophe OdentAn erratic young woman's family desperately tries to prevent her increasingly erotic ways.1984 winner (tie)
- DirectorClaude BerriStarsColucheRichard AnconinaAgnès SoralA story of an odd friendship - and the unexpected consequences.1984 nominee
- DirectorJean BeckerStarsIsabelle AdjaniAlain SouchonSuzanne FlonA young woman who oozes sensuality arrives in a small town and marries the local mechanic. Was it love at first sight? What links her enigmatic presence to the family's piano? Is it curiosity or is it something far more sinister?1984 nominee
- DirectorDiane KurysStarsMiou-MiouIsabelle HuppertGuy MarchandA Jewish refugee marries a soldier to escape deportation to Germany. Meanwhile a wealthy art student loses her first husband to a stray Resistance bullet; at the Liberation she meets an actor, gets pregnant, and marries him.1984 nominee
- DirectorClaude ZidiStarsPhilippe NoiretThierry LhermitteRégineA moderately corrupt veteran policeman teaches the art of bribes to his young partner. The rookie turns out to be an extremely capable student, and soon overtakes the teacher.1985 winner
- DirectorBertrand TavernierStarsLouis DucreuxMichel AumontSabine AzémaAn elderly painter whose son visits with his family on the weekends, is also surprised by a visit from his still-single daughter.1985 nominee
- DirectorFrancesco RosiStarsJulia MigenesPlácido DomingoRuggero RaimondiIn 1820s Spain the soldier Don José falls in love with the fiery and charismatic factory worker Carmen. Conflicts and grievances multiply, however, as it becomes apparent their views on love and commitment are fundamentally incompatible.1985 nominee
- DirectorÉric RohmerStarsPascale OgierTchéky KaryoFabrice LuchiniLouise is a suburban young interior decorator divided between a boyfriend, a lover (who is married) and the wish of having some fulfillment and some balance in her life. A change to reach some independence comes when she rents a small apartment.1985 nominee
- DirectorAlain ResnaisStarsSabine AzémaFanny ArdantPierre ArditiElisabeth and Simon have been deeply in love for two months when Simon momentarily dies, but comes back to life. Simon does not want any further medical tests, but the couple are forced to grapple with the possibility of his death. They eventually tell their close friends Jérôme and Judith Martignac about the event. The Martignacs are both clerics, and Judith has just been giving a funeral service for a villager who committed suicide, though Jérôme would have nothing to do with suicide...1985 nominee
- DirectorColine SerreauStarsRoland GiraudMichel BoujenahAndré DussollierJacques, Pierre, and Michel are three adult friends who enjoy single life until they find themselves stuck with a baby.1986 winner
- DirectorAgnès VardaStarsSandrine BonnaireMacha MérilStéphane FreissA young woman's body is found frozen in a ditch. Through flashbacks and interviews, we see the events that led to her inevitable death.1986 nominee
- DirectorClaude MillerStarsCharlotte GainsbourgClothilde BaudonJulie GlennCharlotte (Gainsbourg) is being raised without a mother. She is only 13 but ready to be an adult. She meets an older boy and begins a relationship while teaching a young friend about life and learning the ropes herself.1986 nominee
- DirectorMichel DevilleStarsAnémoneRichard BohringerNicole GarciaA magnate and his younger wife hire David to teach guitar to their teenage daughter. The wife quickly seduces David, and simultaneously he strikes up an acquaintance with the family's inquisitive neighbor. One night, David is mugged but rescued from injury by a stranger, Daniel, who also becomes David's friend and admits to being a hit man. Video tapes of their activities appear in the lovers' mail; David thinks they're from the neighbor, Daniel is sure the husband is onto the affair and hired the mugger. After Daniel tells David that he's been hired to kill the husband, an elaborate manipulation plays out, with murder, suicide, a payoff, more videos, and a surprise pairing.1986 nominee
- DirectorLuc BessonStarsChristopher LambertIsabelle AdjaniRichard BohringerOn improvising a burglary at a shady tycoon's home, Fred takes refuge in the hip and surreal universe of the Paris Metro and encounters its assorted denizens, the tycoon's henchmen and his disenchanted young wife.1986 nominee
- DirectorAlain CavalierStarsCatherine MouchetHélène AlexandridisAurore PrietoA story of life of St. Therese of Lisieux.1987 winner
- DirectorClaude BerriStarsYves MontandGérard DepardieuDaniel AuteuilA greedy landowner and his backward nephew conspire to block the only water source for an adjoining property in order to bankrupt the owner and force him to sell.1987 nominee
- DirectorJean-Jacques BeineixStarsJean-Hugues AngladeBéatrice DalleGérard DarmonA lackadaisical handyman and aspiring novelist tries to support his younger girlfriend as she slowly succumbs to madness.1987 nominee
- DirectorAlain ResnaisStarsSabine AzémaFanny ArdantPierre ArditiIn Paris in the 1920s, a concert violinist meets and falls in love with a stylish young flapper who's the wife of an old friend. Romaine instigates the affair with Marcel, and carries it forward even as her husband, Pierre, falls ill. She may even be purposely giving Pierre a treatment that adds to his misery. After Marcel returns from a concert tour and Romaine stoops to a new low in abandoning Pierre for an assignation, she reconsiders the affair and takes a drastic step. Three years later, Pierre pays Marcel a visit to demand the truth. Will the jealous and aggrieved Marcel manage a convincing performance?1987 nominee
- DirectorBertrand BlierStarsGérard DepardieuMichel BlancMiou-MiouA bisexual petty criminal named Bob encounters a married couple arguing in a bar. Bob breaks up the fight and proceeds to seduce first the wife and then the husband. Then Bob teaches the couple how to be burglars and they join him in his criminal exploits.1987 nominee
- DirectorLouis MalleStarsGaspard ManesseRaphael FejtöFrancine RacetteA French boarding school run by priests seems to be a haven from World War II until a new student arrives. Occupying the next bed in the dormitory to the top student in his class, the two young boys begin to form a bond.1988 winner
- DirectorJean-Loup HubertStarsAnémoneRichard BohringerAntoine HubertLouis, a nine-year-old boy from Paris, spends his summer vacation in a small town in Brittany. His mother Claire has lodged him with her girlfriend Marcelle and her husband Pelo while she's having her second baby. There Louis makes friends with Martine, the ten-year-old girl next door, and learns from her about life.1988 nominee
- DirectorPatrice LeconteStarsGérard JugnotJean RochefortSylvie GranotierMichel Mortez is going to and fro France to compere a radio game he created 25 years ago. He is famous among the average Frenchmen. But he is also a poker. Rivetot, his assistant and technician, always goes with him. He is the only one to know what really lies under Mortez's appearance of playful don Juan. When the programme is condemned by the managers, Rivetot delays as long as possible the moment he will have to announce it to Mortez... Both malicious and tender, this bitter comedy also shows nostalgia.1988 nominee
- DirectorMaurice PialatStarsGérard DepardieuSandrine BonnaireMaurice PialatA priest stuck in a rural congregation and burdened with his overwrought spirituality, finds purpose in a troubled woman accused of murder.1988 nominee
- DirectorAndré TéchinéStarsSandrine BonnaireJean-Claude BrialySimon de La BrosseThe lines between love, sex, and politics become hopelessly blurred in this French drama. Jeanne finds herself torn between the two men a French and a North African in a romantic and sexual dilemma that mirrors France's political turmoil regarding the nation's growing Arab population.1988 nominee
- DirectorBruno NuyttenStarsIsabelle AdjaniGérard DepardieuMadeleine RobinsonCamille Claude impresses already-famous sculptor Auguste Rodin. He hires her as an assistant, but soon Camille begins to sculpt for herself and she also becomes his mistress. But after a while, she would like to get out of his shadow.1989 winner
- DirectorJean-Jacques AnnaudStarsTchéky KaryoBart the BearYouk the BearAn orphan bear cub hooks up with an adult male as they try to dodge human hunters.1989 nominee
- DirectorLuc BessonStarsJean-Marc BarrJean RenoRosanna ArquetteThe rivalry between Enzo and Jacques, two childhood friends and now world-renowned free divers, becomes a beautiful and perilous journey into oneself and the unknown.1989 nominee
- DirectorMichel DevilleStarsMiou-MiouChristian RuchéSylvie LaporteA multi-faceted film based on Raymond Jean's novel "La Lectrice". Constance (Miou-Miou) reads the novel aloud in bed to her lover. Inspired by the story of Marie, a woman who advertises her services as a reader of literature, Constance decides to do the same. Here the film takes on a kaleidoscopic effect as the lives of Constance and Marie become merged, making it hard to distinguish what is real and what is fantasy. This structure is further complicated when the lives of Constance's clients become tangled with the stories she reads. The film is interspersed with readings from well known literary sources as diverse as, amongst others, Baudelaire, Duras, Tolstoy, Lewis Carroll and de Sade's "120 days..."1989 nominee
- DirectorÉtienne ChatiliezStarsBenoît MagimelHélène VincentValérie LalandeA revengeful nurse switches a girl and a boy at birth. They are raised in two radically different families. When the switch is revealed many years later, the now teenagers and families need to cope with their new environments.1989 nominee
- DirectorBertrand BlierStarsGérard DepardieuJosiane BalaskoCarole BouquetA sharp love triangle is formed by a wealthy businessman.1990 winner
- DirectorPatrice LeconteStarsMichel BlancSandrine BonnaireLuc ThuillierA recluse is accused of murdering a young woman simply because his neighbors think he is strange.1990 nominee
- DirectorBertrand TavernierStarsPhilippe NoiretSabine AzémaPascale VignalIntense character study of men and women driven by an overpowering obsession with the past.1990 nominee
- DirectorEric RochantStarsHippolyte GirardotMireille PerrierYvan Attal25 years old Hippo doesn't have a job, doesn't study either but lives from the money his younger brother earns with dealing and from occasional Poker winnings -- he's a representative of a disillusioned generation, doesn't care what other people think of him. But of all people he falls in love with the ambitioned student Nathalie and soon finds himself forced to think about taking a job.1990 nominee
- DirectorAlain CorneauStarsJean-Hugues AngladeClémentine CélariéOtto TausigA young Frenchman (Jean-Hugues Anglade) finds adventure in India while searching for a lost friend who disappeared. During his search he will find strange people but he will discover too a new fascinating country.1990 nominee
- DirectorJean-Paul RappeneauStarsGérard DepardieuAnne BrochetVincent PerezFamed swordsman and poet Cyrano de Bergerac is in love with his cousin Roxane. He has never expressed his love for her as he his large nose undermines his self-confidence. Then he finds a way to express his love to her, indirectly.1991 winner
- DirectorLuc BessonStarsAnne ParillaudMarc DuretPatrick FontanaConvicted felon Nikita isn't going to jail; she's given a new identity and trained, stylishly, as a top secret spy/assassin.1991 nominee
- DirectorPatrice LeconteStarsJean RochefortAnna GalienaRoland BertinAntoine has always been fascinated by a hairdresser's delicate touch, the beguiling perfume and the enticing figure of a woman with an opulent bosom. After all, he always knew he would marry one, completing his idealised love fantasy.1991 nominee
- DirectorClaude BerriStarsPhilippe NoiretGérard DepardieuMichel BlancAfter World War II, a small French village struggles to put the war behind as the controlling Communist Party tries to flush out Petain loyalists. The local bar owner, a simple man who likes to write poetry, who only wants to be left alone to do his job, becomes a target for Communist harassment as they try and locate a particular loyalist, and he pushes back.1991 nominee
- DirectorJacques DoillonStarsRichard AnconinaGérald ThomassinClotilde CourauMarc and Nathalie are brother and sister living separately since their parents' separation. Marc decides to visit Nathalie but in order to finance his trip he robs a shop bringing him to the attention of the police.1991 nominee
- DirectorAlain CorneauStarsGérard DepardieuJean-Pierre MarielleAnne BrochetThe story of Monsieur de Sainte Colombe, fierce and somber man, grand master of the viola da gamba and professor of Marin Marais, prestigious musician in the court of Louis XIV.1992 winner
- DirectorJacques RivetteStarsMichel PiccoliJane BirkinEmmanuelle BéartThe former famous painter Frenhofer revisits an abandoned project using the girlfriend of a young visiting artist. Questions about truth, life, and artistic limits are explored.1992 nominee
- DirectorMaurice PialatStarsJacques DutroncAlexandra LondonBernard Le CoqThe final sixty-seven days of Van Gogh's life are examined.1992 nominee
- DirectorBertrand BlierStarsCharlotte GainsbourgAnouk GrinbergMichel BlancA lonely teenage girl studying her exams meets a homeless woman and befriend with her.1992 nominee
- DirectorCyril CollardStarsCyril CollardRomane BohringerCarlos LópezJean is 30 years old. He lives with Laura, 17 years old, a violent and eventful love story. He learns that he is HIV positive.1993 winner
- DirectorClaude SautetStarsDaniel AuteuilEmmanuelle BéartAndré DussollierStéphane is an emotionally distant but professionally dedicated violin restorer whose cold heart is tested when his employer's new girlfriend, a beautiful violinist, falls for him.1993 nominee
- DirectorBertrand TavernierStarsDidier BezaceJean-Paul ComartCharlotte KadyRelentless struggle of the Parisian police against the drug trade.1993 nominee
- DirectorRégis WargnierStarsCatherine DeneuveVincent PerezLinh-Dan PhamEliane adopts Camille, whose Vietnamese parents were friends. In 1930, a French navy officer is interested in Eliane (owns 60km2 plantation) and later in Camille. There's an uprising in Vietnam against French colonial power.1993 nominee
- DirectorChristine PascalStarsRichard BerryAnémoneMarie KleiberA divorced Swiss couple must come to terms with their daughter's life-threatening illness. He, a scientist, snatches his daughter from the examining table at the clinic and takes her away as if to kidnap her from the disease. His ex-wife, an actress, takes to bed weeping uncontrollably when she learns of her daughter's tumor. The girl's step-mother, an Asian-American physician, is clinical in her response, outlining a treatment regimen of surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation. It is left to the girl herself, ten-year-old Violette, to be calm, reassuring, philosophical, and even metaphysical as she faces death.1993 nominee
- DirectorColine SerreauStarsVincent LindonPatrick TimsitZabou BreitmanVictor's wife leaves him, and on the same day he loses his job. Depressed, he tries to find someone to listen to his grief, but the only person ready to show some empathy is the simple-minded Michou whom Victor finds irritating.1993 nominee
- DirectorAlain ResnaisStarsSabine AzémaPierre ArditiPeter HudsonAn examination of the possible consequences of a certain event.1994 winner
- DirectorKrzysztof KieslowskiStarsJuliette BinocheZbigniew ZamachowskiJulie DelpyA woman struggles to find a way to live her life after the death of her husband and child.1994 nominee
- DirectorClaude BerriStarsRenaudGérard DepardieuMiou-MiouIn mid-nineteenth-century northern France, a coal mining town's workers are exploited by the mine's owner. One day, they decide to go on strike, and the authorities repress them.1994 nominee
- DirectorJean-Marie PoiréStarsChristian ClavierJean RenoValérie LemercierA medieval knight and his servant ask a familiar wizard to move them back in time to prevent father-in-law's accidentally killing. Instead, they fly away to the 20th century.1994 nominee
- DirectorAndré TéchinéStarsCatherine DeneuveDaniel AuteuilMarthe VillalongaOld woman Berthe leaves her house to live in her daugter Emilie's one. Emilie and her brother Antoine have fallen out three years ago and have not seen each other since, but Emilie invites him for Christmas. Memories will come up, and will be depicted both Berthe's destiny and the strange relationship between Emilie and Antoine.1994 nominee
- DirectorAndré TéchinéStarsÉlodie BouchezGaël MorelStéphane RideauThe fates of two partners are divided.1995 winner
- DirectorLuc BessonStarsJean RenoGary OldmanNatalie Portman12-year-old Mathilda is reluctantly taken in by Léon, a professional assassin, after her family is murdered. An unusual relationship forms as she becomes his protégée and learns the assassin's trade.1995 nominee
- DirectorKrzysztof KieslowskiStarsIrène JacobJean-Louis TrintignantFrédérique FederA model discovers a retired judge is keen on invading people's privacy.1995 nominee
- DirectorPatrice ChéreauStarsIsabelle AdjaniDaniel AuteuilJean-Hugues AngladeYoung Queen Margot finds herself trapped in an arranged marriage amidst a religious war between Catholics and Protestants. She hopes to escape with a new lover, but finds herself imprisoned by her powerful and ruthless family.1995 nominee
- DirectorNicole GarciaStarsGérard LanvinBernard GiraudeauJean-Marc BarrA film shows a family through an adult man's figure, and his weekdays. The main character is one of the sons of an old and ill man who is in hospital nowadays. The father has 2 other sons too. Jean Paul visits his father all day. After he divorced his life is unexciting and troubled. He has a lot of dark suits, a good car, a big house but he has some debts, and his private life touch bottom. He has to call his brothers and ask them to help.1995 nominee
- DirectorMathieu KassovitzStarsVincent CasselHubert KoundéSaïd Taghmaoui24 hours in the lives of three young men in the French suburbs the day after a violent riot.1996 winner
- DirectorClaude ChabrolStarsIsabelle HuppertSandrine BonnaireJacqueline BissetA newly hired maid for a rich countryside family befriends a post-office clerk who encourages her to rebel against her employers.1996 nominee
- DirectorClaude SautetStarsEmmanuelle BéartMichel SerraultJean-Hugues AngladeWhen Nelly, a woman being just divorced, meets by chance M. Arnaud, a mature salesman just retired, begins a strange and special relationship between the two personalities.1996 nominee
- DirectorJean-Paul RappeneauStarsOlivier MartinezJuliette BinochePierre ArditiIn a time of war and disease, a young officer gallantly tries to help a young woman find her husband.1996 nominee
- DirectorÉtienne ChatiliezStarsMichel SerraultEddy MitchellSabine AzémaFrancis, the boss of a small plumbing supply company, is harassed by tax collectors, striking employees, and an impossible wife and daughter. His only joy is sharing lunch with his friend Gerard. Then a TV show called "where are you?" shows a woman from Gers who is searching for her husband who disappeared 28 years ago. The lost husband looks like an identical twin of Francis...1996 nominee
- DirectorJosiane BalaskoStarsVictoria AbrilJosiane BalaskoAlain ChabatAfter learning of her husband's infidelities, a housewife invites an itinerant lesbian to move in with them. None of their lives will ever be the same again.1996 nominee
- DirectorPatrice LeconteStarsCharles BerlingJean RochefortFanny ArdantTo get royal backing on a needed drainage project, a poor French lord must learn to play the delicate games of wit at court at Versailles.1997 winner
- DirectorClaude NuridsanyMarie PérennouStarsKristin Scott ThomasJacques PerrinA documentary on insect life in meadows and ponds.1997 nominee